Dakota County Herald
DAKOTA CUT, NEB.
John H. Ream, - Publisher
a. l in iw.mi .1 ii.i, ,m in i i rn
Most of tho so-called tiocesnry evils
fire unnecessary.
Fools never know when to slop talk
ing, but wise men always know when
not to begn.
A man says he lost $15 dinning 'n
street car. lie can charge It up to
running expense.
Oasollne lootiniotlves nre coming
next. I tlie public ready to exchange
smoke for Ktiii'll?
A Wall street brokerage firm gave
ft reward to tint nuin who found and
returned ?21.000 worth of securities.
The $1, liownvcr, was rent money.
A Hoehcster woman turned on the
gas, drank poison, eut her throat and
jumped out of a window. The indi
cations are that aim wanted to die.
A Missouri man claims to have
found a process for liquefying coal.
The coal trust, however, will continue
to water fls stock In the usual way.
One paper has wasted whole columns
f good space In an attempt at de
fining tho word "crank." A crank Is
h man whose views differ from your
own.
A New York man has been sent to
Jail because ho permitted his wife to
support him. lie will no doubt become
a strong advocate of iersonal liberty
now.
A camera inun who suei-eeds lit get
ting a snapshot of the New York Cen
tral paying a fine of flOil.OOO for re
bating Might to bo nble to do a big
Imslnoss with his prints.
London physician says that people
re not getting enough sleep. He wis
not explicit, but It Is presumed he
menus tho pooplo who llvo next door
to the man that owns a plioungrapli.
A Loudon doctor says every man
should, hare a silent hour at home each
day. There arc men who will lean to
the opinion that It would bo easier to
nave their silent hours away from
fcomc.
Mrs. Saga has given $1,000 to a
church. It Is the first bequest she has
made out of tho $70,000,000 which was
left In trust to her. She will have
to pass It out more rapidly than this
if sIhj expects to get rid of all of It
before slio dies.
An Indianapolis boy who was Incor
rigible has been made good by the re
suovel of his tonsils. If tho surgeons
can prove that similar oiratIona will
niaka other bad boys good It may be
reasonable to expect an linmedlata
hoora la the tonsil-cutting Hue.
Two 'Pittsburg Isiy who stole cv.
eral hundred thousund dollars from a
bank explained that they did It be.
cause they had to associate with mil
lionaires and couldn't make a decent
allowing on tho $(K) a month that each
of tliejtu was paid. It must be almost
terrible, to have to live In a town where
even the grocer's boy has to be a mil
lionaire. Grangers and others Interested In
farm products have proposed that a
lay bo established which shall be ob
served ns "Apple day." To celebrate
this wholesome festival every good
housewife would provide apples In
soine, form, "pic, baked, raw or snsa."
There U a commercial side to the Idea,
for tho feast of the apple would mean
an additional consumption of many
thousand barrels. Hut beyond that
consideration tho plun Is a pleasant
ue.
Officers of the army and navy re
forbidden to uso their otllelul titles In
the advertisements of business enter
prises with which they are connected.
Recently tho naval authorities Inform
ed a retired olllcer that ho could not
hnve his title used as tho name of a
nine la Mexico, aud that If It was to
appear on the list of directors his name
must be printed without the naval
rank. Now an ofIleer of the army has
been Instructed to wlthdruw from a
mining concern unless ho can arrange
to havo bis name associated prominent
ly In tho advertising matter of tho bust
iiers without mention of the military
title.
Hack to tho farm as u plea from
James 1. Hill, the "empire builder," Is
a practical suggestion which takes Into
account the transition of tho farmer
from a rural resident who grows crops
for want of something to do to a busl
ncs man who subscribes to tho rules
of commerce and adds to the modern
appliances ho may purehnso a native
Ingenuity whose extent determines the
annual return ho wreaks from the soil.
The leaning Is to day moro strongly
back to the soil on the part of the
young men thus trained and they are
the ones on whom Mr. Hill may de
is'iid for the execution of his plans
or tho application of , his Ideas. As u
matter of fact farming Is rapidly bo
coming a business and the farmer a
business inun. He succeeds or falls
according to the quality and quantity
of his business acumen.
Turn Sawyer U dead. Long live Tom
Sawyer. Tho boyhood playmnte and
chum ct Murk Twain, who was made
the hero of the story bcuriug his name
grown to bo an old man of 70 years
of ago died not long ago In San Fran
Iseo. Tm Sawyer U dead. The white
haired old fcllo.w who was recently
buried, hint his day. What fun he oed
his chum, Sain Clemens, must have had
barring the house chores that luurt
Is done. In the old. happy days at
Hanulhal how they iiun-t have haunted
the levee. And there were robber cave
to explore and secret societies to or-
inlzo and surreptitious clgurs to suiojce
ad dime novels to read on the ijulet.
Aud like other lioys, they escaped su
unkind lata by the favor of I'rovldeuce.
That was a long time ogo. And thai
Tom Sawyer lies low In his Cnllfonl
grave nnd that Sam Clemens Is quit
an old boy now. Hut Ixing live Ton
Sawyer! The real lsy of Hannibal live
In a countless thousand heart, botli
old and young. The flesh and blfyil
Tom Sawyers merely touched the butti'i
of Clemens' memory. The sweet fanfy
of Mark Twain did the rest. How the
real Tom Sawyer touches us as If be
were flesh and lione! How tho boy w He
red ble.od In his veins anil the renl
man - responds to that real Tom Saw
yer. Dear old Tom the real Toni
will live so long ns boys shall live,-or
so long ns men shall Tie glad In calling
back the memory of ojd and happy
days. Tom Sawyer Is dead. Iing live
Tom Sawyer I 1
Admiral Itobley I). Evans was grad
uated from the Cnlted States Naval
Academy in 1-Sfill. He served In the
Civil War and In the war with Spain,
and has been attached to the navy for
more than forty years. When a man
has bad such nn experience his reflec
tions on "Heroism In the Navy" will
naturally cre.use much curiosity. What,
It will be Inquired, were the nets that
npjicnlcd to him as being heroic? nnd
It Is n significant fact that most of then
were acts that have brought small re
ward either In money or glory. The
conduct that made the deepest Impres
sion on his ndnd was that of Dr. Long
street at tho nssnult of Fort Fisher, nnd
he tells his "story ns follows: "As far
as the eye could reach the dead nnd
wounded lay upon the sand, and those
who had lost much blood cried out for
water. Dr. Lo.ngstrcct wns trying to
relieve this thirst by taking the can
teens from the dead nnd passing them
around among the brave lads; but the
bullets were singing around his head,
nnd I begged him to lie down. Ho
kept on at his work, and had Just said,
'We will have you all off the beach to
night,' when a bullet struck him In the
head, killing him Instantly." The ad
miral's comment Is that when he thinks
of Longstrcct's constitutional bravery,
his sense of duty and manly courage
In trying to Jolly nlong his comrades
who were half dead from their wound 4.
he feels that no braver mau ever lived.
"The help," he says, "which In a crisis
like this wns the first to come, the sim
ple, kindly, quiet deve,tlon to duty, look
ing back nt It now, has Impressed me
as the one thing of more value In the
lesson of heroism than all the rest."
It was undoubtedly nn unconscious
heroism that Longstreet showed, aud
It was of a kind fe,rtuuntely that Is not
peculiar to ariules or navies, but that
Is frequently noticed In civil life. Ths
heroeB may not be threatened with the
bullets of au cnmjr ns the doctor was,
but, like him, they Jolly others along,
are Actuated by a "simple, kindly, quiet
devctlon to, duty" nnd are ready to sac
rifice themselves as a matter of course.
They find many chances aud take them,
and die heroes ns truly as though they
bad volunteered for some conspicuous,
service on the field of battle.
GAME ABUNDANT IN CUBA.
Kit live Animals Few, but Varieties
. of lllnla Number SOO.
Throughout Culm game Is abundant.
Deer, though not native, have nour
ished and multiplied greatly. Itabblts
are plentiful; also vl!d boar, so culled,
the wild pig, the wild dog and the wild
cat of the Island. Wild fowl, especially
ducks nnd pigeons, abound, the former
crossing from the Southern States dur
ing the winter seasou, while the latter
remain on the Island the year round,
l'heasants, quail, snipe, wild turkeys
aud wild guinea fowl urc also numer
ous, with several varieties of game
birds, such ns the erdlz, tojosas, ra
blches aud the guauaros.
The only distinctive native animal Is
the Julia or huntla, ratlike In appear
ance and black. U grows to a length
of slxteu or eighteen Jtichcs, not Includ
ing the tail. While eatable, It Is not es
pecially palatablu.
Cuba has more thau 200 species of
native birds, Including those already
mentioned as game birds, many pos
sessing the most beautiful plumage, but
those with soug are rare.
In swampy localities crocodiles and
American allgutors (caimans) are
found, and although these frequently
grow to an enormous size but little at
tention Is paid to them by the natives.
Chameleons, small lizards, tree toads
and similar harmless Silurians of di
minutive size are very common, while
occasionally tlie Iguana and other large
varieties of the lizard siiecles nro seen.
Fed varieties of snakes exist lu Cuba.
One of these, the maja, from ten to
fourteen feet In length, Is a semldumcs
tlcated reptile, If such a term may bo
used, for It Is most frequently found
atsmt tho huts, furui houses aud small
villages, Its favorite living place being
In the palm thatches of the old build
ings, while Its favorite food is poultry.
Another snake, mimed the Julio, Is more
vicious In disposition thau tho maja,
although never reaching more than one
third Its size. It Is not poisonous. The
other varieties uro still smaller lu size,
are seldom seen and not venomous.-
Havana Tost
I'lrk-a-llack la Jaan.
Taking care of little sister or lltth
brother means much more to the chil
dren e.f Japan thnn to those of this
country. As a rule,
the baby U fas
tened to the luck
of the elder child,
even though the
latter bo little
more than a baby
Itself. Although
mere hoys and
girls carry the tots
around by the
hour, they do not
apparently suffer
in health, but that
may be the reason
why the race does
lle.t reach greater
physical propor
tions. mm
rvtfi
v-zt
III Wealth.
Magistrate You were hogging lu tno
public streets, and yet you had fifteen
shillings lu your pocket.
Prisoner Yes, your worship, l may
not be ns ludustilous us some, but Fid
uo siKMidthrlfL IahmIoii F.xpm.
B I if m . -
0LD
DrlvliiK Home tlie ( im.
Out of the clover anil tlm Mii'M j inI gras
lit.' tuniril llii'in into the riv r line.
One nfler another he let Ummi
Then fastened l lie niemloiv 'mrs ag:iiii.
I' ruler l!ie willows :tml over l!ie Mil
lie piiiently followed their eoVi r t"e;
Tlie merry wliNMe for one'1 was Hlilli
And soinit!ii:i xliadotved the :imny
fa.c
Only a boy, nnd his father I. id id
lie never eouM let his yoaiuest gi ;
Two already were lying dead
I'lider the feet of the tr:i;iiding fw.
lint nfler the evening work vas done,
Ami tlie frojj.H were Imul in the meadow
swamp.
Over his slumldir he slung iii pur
And stealthily followed the footpath
dump,
Across the clover and through the wheat.
With resolute henrt and purpose crim.
Though cold was the dew nn hi: hurrying
feet,
And Hit- blind hat's flitting start led hi:u,
Thrice sincn then had tho bines lieen
white,
And the orchards sweet with apple
bloom ;
And now, when (he emvs nnne hiek at
night.
The feeble father drove ih"tn home.
I'or news had come to the lo:iely farm
That three were lying wii.re two had
lain :
And the old man's treiiiiilnii, pnleinil arm
('ould never lean on a son's aiain.
The slimmer dny lirew cool h ml late.
Ho went for the cows when the work
was done ; .
lluf down the lane, ns he opened the gate.
He saw them corning, one by one -
Urimlle, Khony, Speckle and Vwr..
Shaking their horns in t'.in evening
wind ;
Cropping the buttercups out of the
grass
Hut who was it following lose behind?
Ioosely swung in the Idle air
The empty ideeve of army blue :
And worn and pale, from the crisping
hair,
Looked out s face that the fattier knew.
For gloomy prisons will soue-tinn- yawn
And yield their dead unto life 'gain;
And the day that coined -vi'li n cloudy
dawn
In golden glory at last inny whiic.
The great tears sprang to iheir meeting
eyes.
For the heart must speak -.vren the lips
are dumb;
And under the silent evening Mines
Together they followed the rut lie home.
Ksto Putnam Osgood.
TYROLESE CUSTOMS.
ia-.allar Manner In Which l'roi
al of Murrltiite Are Alnile.
There Is 'an old custom prevailing
among the Tyrolese regarding propos
als of marriage. The first time a young
man puys a visit as avowed lover he
brings with him a Isiltlo or wine, of
which he M)iirs out a glass and pre
sents It to tho object of his desires.
If she accepts it tlie whole nlTalr Is
settled. Very often the girl has not vet
miido tip her mind, and then she will
tnko refuge lu excuses so as not to
drink the wine and yet not refuse It
point blank, for that Is considered a
gross Insult, proving that she has been
merely trifling with the affections of
her lover.
She will, for instance, maintain that
th? wine "looks sour'' or that wine
dlsagrecswlth her or that sho Is a frit Id
of getting tipsy or that the priest has
forbidden ler to take any In fact, she
makes use of any subterfuge that pro
Bents Itself at that moment.
The purport of these excuses Is that
she has not come to n decision and that
the wine offering is premature.
This slrauge custom, dating very far
back according to one account, It was
known as early as the ninth century
Is called "bringing the wine" and Is
synouymous with the net of propos
ing. Shy lovers, loath to make sure of
their case licforchnnd, (hid It a very
happy Institution. Not a word iiood lie
simkeu. and the girl Is spared the pain
ful "No" of civilization. '
If any of the wine is spllied or tlie
glass or bottle broken It Is isuisldcred
a most unhappy omen in fact, there
Is a iM'usant's saying for an uiiliiippy
inarrlage. "They have spilled the wine
between them."
BRIDGE WITH THREE ENDS.
Onljr One lu llnlteil Slairn t iiiiueem
Purls of an Ohlik Tiiwi,
Klght In the middle of n city lu Ohio
one river empties Into another, and su
the city Is divided Into three purls, it
is really three towns sitting "catacor
nered" to each other, with the waters
between them. One river Is the mur
muring Muskingum, hurrying along be
tween its big echoing hills, and the oth
er Is the lazy Licking, llowlng quietly
between green garden banks and osier
fit Ids and overhanging trees. Itoth of
them have mills to turn. The blue
Muskingum spreads out in the sun an,',
si.lnes like a mirror above Its mil! dam
and then It tumbles down with n roar
as it turns the mill and hurries away
over the rocks us If It were angry at
being caught and put at such a tusk.
Hut the Licking spills Itself snioolhly
itito the Muskingum aud slugs happily
at Its work. ro ymi see even the lazy
Licking does not get past here without
dolug some work, for tho Inhabitant
nre ve.-y Industrious. Then the rive .-a
unite their waters and make a stream
deep enough to Ihmt barges full (1f
envkery aud steamlsHits laden with all
the things they make here, down to th"
Ohio and thence to the- Mississippi t.nd
uwny to the Gulf of Mexico.
Now, wheu It came to building a
bridge to join that city together the
wise men of the place saw that It would
havo t be a bridge with three ends. A
queer bridge that would lie. Indied, for
who ever beard of a bridge with more
thau two ends to IO There was not
1111 11 1 , '!i ).." II
such n thing In the Culled States. P.ut
they had to hnve It ami so they made
it. And It wns the only bridge of the
kind In the world except one lu Swit
zerland tint Is scjnewhat like It. To
look at It one would think that each
town bud started to build a bridge o'lt
to the others and nil three bridges had
met In the middle of the river.
L:ieh part of the brldiro find four ball
wajx, two big ones fe.r horses and twi
little one fi r people walking. It had a
' shingled roof over nil the length of It
Mini windows In the sides, so that It
was a sort of house bridge. When it
rained yi.il could go out on the rlv.r
mid I' out of the wet. Where the
bridges came together there was n l!g
room out In the middle of the river,
wil'i tlio'twclve hallways opening Into
it i 'an yen Imagine what a roomful of
iioi-.-es and wagiis and people Unit was.
with the people of three towns nil cross
ing from hall to hall ns they came r.n 1
went In different directions? Kverv
body In the three parts of the city had
lo come out here whenever they went
t any e.f tl,e others. And so they all
niei in the nsmi out In the middle of
the river, no matter where they wcr
coming from or where they were going
to. SI. Nicholas.
THE BLACK BALL.
A I lever Scheme Tllnl Was tolled
In tbu Drawl nit.
Two young men in a French village
were called on to draw for conscrip
tion, one only was wanted to com
plete the number, and of the two who
were to draw one was the son of a
rich farmer and the other the child of
n poor widow.
The farmer Ingratiated himself with
the MitM-rluteiidcnt of the ballot and
promisiil him a present If lie could find
means to prevent his sou from going
in the army. In order to accomplish
this the ollklnl put Into the urn two
black bulls instead of one white and
one black ball. When the young men
came, lie said :
"There are two balls, one blink and
one white, In the urn. He who draws
the black one must serve. Your turn
is llrst," pointing to the widow's sou.
The bitter, susiSM-tlug that all was
not fair, approached the urn and drew
one of the balls, which he Immediately
swallowed without looking nt It.
"Why," said the superintendent,
have you done that? How are we to
know- whether you have drawn a black
or a white ball?"
Oh. that's very easy to discover."
was the reply. "Let the other now
draw. If I have the black, he must
necessarily draw the white one."
There was no help for It, and the
farmer's son. putting his hand Into the
tirn. drew the remaining ball, which, to
the satisfaction of the sMK'tators, was
a black one.
FOREIGN JOHN SMITHS.
Nearly Kvery utltn linn a Peculiar
Mnuner of Selllu III !N mile.
Of all the families of the earth prob
ably there Is none moro numerous than
ili.it of Smith, nnd of all the Smiths lu
the world It seems that at least 50 per
cent have been chlsteued John. If the
name were not so common we should
probably admire It and see It through
a glamour, as we do ninny other names
that are not half as solid and substan
tial. As It Is, plain John Smith is not very
high-sounding; It does not suggest aris
tocracy. It Is not the name of any hero
in die-away novels; yet It Is good nnd
honest. Transferred to other languages
It seems to climb the ladder of rosiiec
tilblllty. Thus lu Latin It Is Johannes Smith
us; the Italian smoothes It off Into
Oiovaiini Smith!; the Spaniards render
it .1 nun Snilthus; the Oermaii adopts it
as Hans Schmidt: the French flatten
It out Into .leau Stuccts ; tho Uussiaii.
turns It Into .lonlofr Sinltowski; the
Icelanders say he Is Jahiine Snilthson.
Among the Tuscaroras he liocoinos Tain
tjlia Smlttin: lu Poland be Is known
Ivan SchinlttlweisUI ; among the Welsh 1
mountain they call htm Jlhom !
Schmidt; lu Mexico bis name Is written '
.lontll F'Smltri; In Greece ho turns to
Foil Slnlkton: In Turkey he Is almost
disguised as Yoo Seef.
Knbinaon Crunoe.
The second volume of ' Uobinson
Crusoe." by Daniel Ie Foe, published
on Aug. ''i, 1S70. was the first story
published In Kngland with illustra
tions. The Illustrations consisted of a
map of the world. In which the differ
ent voyages of the hero of the tale
were delineated. The first volume of
"Kohluson Crusoe' was published in
April. 1710, and lscame iiipular "at
once. A second edition was printed j
seventeen days after the first, twenty
live days later another followed, nnd a'
fourth was published on Aug. 8 of the
same ear. On Aug. 20. the second
volume was issued under the title of
"Tlie Further Adventures of Uoblnson
Crusoe; Isdng the second and last part
of his life and of the strange, surpris
ing account of Ids travels round three
parts of the globe. Written by him
self. To which Is added a map f the
world. In which Is delineated the voy
age of Uoblnson Crusoe."
riunla (hut Take I'llls.
A very large and sturdy orange tree
was growing lu a small jiot.
"If that tree," said tlie florist, "didn't
take pills It would require a pot as big
as a bathtub to grow n. Kut it takes
pills like a hypochrondrlac.
"Chemists, agricultural experts now
make plant pills, pills no bigger than
chestnuts, that contain sustenance for
six months, a kind of tabloid food.
These chemists analyze a plant's ash,
and make pills of the constituent salts.
The pills, inclosed lu a metal cover, are
burled lu the earth at the plant's routs,
aud tho salts gradually dissolve and
diffuse through the metal, giving the
plants day by day the sustenance that
they require.
"Pills are also applied to weak, sick
ly plants, which they help wonderfully."
Tuu llnrlr, let.
He And so they are engaged to be
married?
She Yes.
"Has be given her a diamond ring?"
"She's wearing o::. but I dou t know
whether he's given it to her or uot.
They're ue.t married yet, you know,"
Tonkers Stutesmau.
eTT-s.
Jk MM
n m u. i r v-r
)raf.-:-'
Marvels of Invention in these times
are looked upon as matters of fact. The
announcement of the discovery of the
X-ray ten years ago was indeed nt first
viewed with some Incredulity; but
when the proof wns quickly produced,
the world wns rendy to liellevc any
thing. Wireless telegraphy was accept
ed ns a matter of course ; wireless tel
ephony Is now expected speedily to be
made available. There Is almost noth
ing too extravagant to be Impossible
for science, so far as the average man
Is concerned. Yet while these views
are held of science, the ordinary person
attending nn exhibition of conjuring
cannot escape a secret thrill In the
presence of the possibly uncanny.
What he sees there are illusions, and
deceptions. lie knows that Kellar, for
Instance, has to get along without su
pernatural help. Everything the stage
magician accomplishes is a trick, and
the fascination of the exhibition Is to
be found chiefly in the universal curios
ity which muses each spectator to de
sire to know how the illusion was per
formed, and partly In the old credence
lu the miraculous powers of black art.
One may hazard a "guess" as to the
method employed in one Illusion or
another, but he Is not likely to know
whether or not his surmise is correct,
for tho secret of the tricks is their
greatest value, and the simplicity of
most of them would, were It generally
known, lessen the desire to see them.
The average book of magic Is a tan
tnllzlng treatise to a person who "wants
to know." it will give the explanation
of hundreds of tricks no longer exhib
ited, and will describe those which may
still be effective in terms so vague that
their mystery Is, If niiythlng. made
Teener.
Revelation In Mnirle.
An exception to the rule Is "The Old
and the New Magic," by Henry Kldgely
Evans, which has been published by the
Open Court Publishing Company of
Chicago. This is a very chatty nnd il
luminating volume, but, nt times. Its
author takes it for granted that the
reader is nn adopt However, it is a
very enjoyable but brier view of magie
and magicians of nil times. The modus
operandi of some famous Illusions or
tricks Is given, nnd. excepting to the
professional or amateur who has fol
lowed stage magic closely, the book will
prove a revelation.
One of the most simple but startling
tricks Bbown on the stage Is Thurston's
"defiance of the laws of gravitation."
Having made his etitrance by giving
some feats of card manipulation, he
suspends a large ball In the air like
Mahomet's coffin. It Is apparently un
attached to anything, for the magician
passes a hoop about the ball. As he
crosses the 6tnge the ball follows blm 1
And accompanies him as he makes bis
exit The feat Is accomplished by a
stream of compressed air. It Is very
simple, but it requires great skill to
reproduce.
Herrmann' Uuo Illusion.
The gun Illusion, performed by tlie
late Alexander Herrmann, was perhaps
one of the most sensational feats ever
presented. A squad of soldiers, under
the command of a sergeant or corporal,
comprised the tiring party. The guns
were apparently loaded with genuine
cartridges, the bullets of which had
been previously marked Tor Identifica
tion by various spectators. The sol
diers stood upoli n platform erected In
the center of the theater, and Herr
mann stationed himself upon the stage.
The guns were fins I at htm, and he ap
parently caught the balls upon a plate.
I'pou examination the balls were
found to lie still warm from the effects
of the explosion and the marks were
Identified upon them. The substitution
of the show cartridges, which were
loaded Into the guns, for the genuine
ones, wis very subtly executed by
menus of a trick salver having a small
well let Into its center to hold the cart
ridges. Into this well the marked cart
ridges were dejsislted by the spectators.
In the Interior of the salvor was a
second compartment loaded with blank
cartridges. The sergeant w ho collected
tlie bullets fchlftcd the compartment by
means of a peg' underneath the salver
ts bo walked from tlie niulieuce to the
stage. The sham cut ridges were now
brought to view, and the real were
hidden in the bisly of the salver. While
the soldiers were engaged In loading
their rifles with the blank cartridges
the sergeant went behind the side scene
STACK DKCAPITATION.
iBLACKAim
Exposed
to get his run nnd dossil the salver
A couple of nsslstants extracted the
genuine bullets and heated them. Herr
mann went to the wing to get the plate,
nnd secretly semred the marked bul
lets. Tlie rest of the trick consisted In
working up the dramatic cfTects.
Conjuror Mnxt lie Actor.
A grcnt deal of the success In a trick
such as this is due to the dramatic ef
fects Introduced by the wonder worker.
The conjurer must l.e something of an
actor as well as a c!cer sleight-of-hand
pirformer. Herrmann was always hap
py in Ills "patter," th; technical name
for the magician's running conversa
tion, lie was a goisl bit of a comedian,
and consequently wns able to distract
tho intention of his audience from
something he did not wish them to ob
serve, lie wns not the first to make we
of the bullct-cntchlng trick, which real
ly was invented by Hohert lloudln, and
also used by Anderson. However, Herr
mann mnde it the great feature of bis
entertainment, and by performing It
but seldom ndded to its Interest, for It
wns believed by his audience that be
placed Ids life In Jeopardy every time
bo performed the feat.
Excepting the card nnd coin manipu
lators and the parlor magicians, the
stage professor of the black art carries
with blm many tons of paraphernalia.
The lightest, airiest effects ore the re
sults of elaborate and heavy apparatus,
and the modern thaumaturglst must be
accompanied by many mechanics and
unseen assistants, as well as by the
chief assistants whom the spectators
notice. The confederate, as he was
once known, Is unnecessary nowadays.
The gentlemen who go upon the stage
from the audience to tie knots are all
of them very Innocent, Indeed. There
Is no need of confederacy, for the trick
Is really a genuine, carefully planned
feat, and does not depend upon any col
lusion on the part of some one placed
in the audience.
Some Peata of Kellar.
Kellar as a young man was assistant
to the famous Davenport P.rothers, and
he reproduces some of their cabinet
"mysteries" with considerable and more
effective Improvements. It Is explained
th.it the Davenport Brothers accom
plished their feats by secretly taking
up slack in the rope while It was being
tied, thereby getting a loophole in the
bonds through which to work one hand
loose. Frequently they cut the cords
with knives secreteil In their sleeves.
Those who have seen Kellar's dexterous
performance may form their own Ideas
as to whether or not he achieves bis
results hi this way.
A master magician like Kellar usual
ly Improves upon the tricks he adopts.
Thus Kellar's automaton "Psycho" Is
not Identical with Maskelyne's, which
has been explained, although not be
yond dispute. Kempclen's automaton
chess player, which caused a sensation
In Europe In the eighteenth century,
was of very difficult construction. Au
expose of Kempelen's masterpiece show
ed that It wns operated by a man who
was skillfully concealed In the machine.
The present-day "Psycho". Is under no
ft. OMninff f(W Pj.
O. T;lp.t Siu4
FulUy Arrangement
HYPNOTISM OB MECHANISM 7
such suspicion, being merely a product
of mechanical ingenuity and a thorough
knowledge of psychics.
l.evltallon and Fllht.
In adopting tlie celebrated "levlta
tlon" mystery Kellar h"s also introduced
Improvements. It Is ft very surprising
feat, and as first used by Kellar may
Ive explained by the diagram shown.
An assistant Is Introduced, laid on an
ottoman and then sent oSf Into a hyp
notic trance? This part of tho feat, it
may bo explained, Is the dramatic
"leading up," a necessary feature In
every sensational conjuring trick. The
performer takes nn ordinary fan and
fans the body while It rises slowly
about four feet In the air, where It
mysteriously remains for any length of
time desired. A large solid steel hoop
Is given for examination, and after the
audience Is satisfied as to Its genuine
ness it Is passed over the body from
head to feet, behind the body and over
It again, at once dispelling the idea of
wires or any other tangible support
usodv tho body, ns it were, Journeying
through the hixip each time. It will be
noticed that the cranked bar Is the
soul of the illusion.
Houdinl, the "Handcuff King," who,
by the way, Is an American, has aston
ished even the police by the rapidity
and ence with which he sheds hand
cuffs with which he allows himself to
be fettered. Handcuffs are supplied
with spring locks, and can only le open
ened by means of a key. As a matter
of fact, lloudlnl relieves himself of bis
"bracelets" by using keys which he se
crets about bis clothing. The costume
EVOLUTION OF THE
af
lit whfch be performs Is provided ir'1
sundry small pocket especially made
for the purpose, and m arranged that
be Is able to place bis hand upon some
one or other of them In whatever
tlon be may be. No matter how fee
may be burdened with his steel fetters,
Houdinl finds a way to dexteriously
withdraw a key. Insert It In tlie Iik-Us
and relense bis bonds.
One of the "big" sensational fc.aU
which was used by Ilerrninnn, among
others was De Kolta and Maskelyne's
illusion, called "Ulack Art; or, the Ma
hatmas Outdone." The paraphernalia
for this act Is considerable, but the
success of the performance rests upon,
the histrionic ability nnd tlie dexterity
of the performers. The stage Is ill
bung In black. Sis?clal exposed foot
lights and sidelights prevent one peer-'
Ing Into the mystic darkness beyond.
Furniture nnd human beings nre pro
duced niid vanished at a word, and a
lady Is "decapitated." An assistant,
dressed in black velvet ond wearing
black gloves and a black hood. Is In the.
r. part men t all the time. When n chair
is to be produced he quickly whisks oft
the black velvet cover which bud con
cealed it. and, behold, a white chnir
is In plain view. Throughout the sccau
the performer Is attired in white.
WORK AMONG MOSLEMS.
Question 1)IkciipI nt an America
Iloanl Blectlnic.
Following closely upon the accept
ance of Mr. I.eihmau as ambassador at
Constantinople conies the announce
ment of the new uttltudo of the Amer
ican board toward mission work among
the Moslems In Turkey, says the. New
York Tribune.
Hitherto it has been feared that
Moslem' fanaticism might result lu vio
lence against the missionaries at the
front If it were plainly stated that this
hoard Is endeavoring through Us mis
sionaries to make Jesus Christ kuown
to the followers of Mohammed. For
nearly four score and ten years the
board has maintained a silence that
has been misinterpreted both In the.
east nnd In the west. Widely has the
uncontradicted but erroneous state-:
uient been circulated that "mission!
boards arc not working for the Christ-
lanlzatlon of Moslems," nnd that "ao
Moslems become Christian."
There is even a wide difference ef
opinion among the missionaries and'
the friends of the board as to the wis
dom of discussing this question lierej
Some fear It mny result In open fanati
cal violence against missionaries In
Turkey and elsew here, while others be
lieve that the time has come wheu the
board should speak boldly nnd frauktyj
Last April witnessed a long step in
advance In the conference In ,Cnlroj
Kgypt, where some seventy delegates
assembled from all over the world to
discuss this question. Since tho coo-'
ference was In a Moslem country, se-'
crecy was maintained at that time
prevent the breaking up of the gather
ing. Two volumes are soon to be IB
sued, giving to the world n full repoet
of proceedings of the first world con
ference of Christians upon the subject
of Mohammedanism and Its relation t
Christianity.
Printline Vrtmm In Tibet.
When approaching Tibet from
1
i
the
valley on the west a correspondent patd
a visit to n monastery, there far famed
for its printing press, says the Times'
o,f India.
In winter the press does no work,
probably because the Ink cannot be'
kept from freezing, nnd we are disap
pointed In our hopes of witnessing the
manner In which sacred literature Is'
manufactured lu Tibet.
All around a big hall are arranged In
shelves the printing blocks, which are
simply rectangular pieces of wood up
on which a whole page of lettering has
been carved. When in action a block
Is held In a vise and .then leverea by
hand upon the paper, where It leaves a
facsimile of the carving on Its face.
The process Is simple and expedi
tious, and several fat volumes can be
printed In a day. Rut the blocks, oj
which there are very many tho'i.'nds,'
represent long and patient labor, their
workmanship and finish being very
fine. Of the usual adjuncts of a print
ing press there are none at Nartank
monastery except that unwashed con
dition of some of the monks aud all of
the attendants entitles them to rant
with printers' devils.
laefnl Teeth.
. Many different reasons nre assigned
by people for their unwillingness to
submit to. the extraction of teeth. But
it wns no fear of pain which was up
permost In the mind of Miss Mehltable
Lamson of Willowby, when told by the
dentist -that she would be much bene
fited by the loss of two of her promi
nent teeth.
"Yo,u say they can't be filled," she
said. In evident distress, "aud you
couldn't get any others In for me f;r
more'n a fortnight?"
The dentist admitted, reluctantly
that It was so.
"Well, then, I supivoso I'll have to
get on as best I can," and Miss Mehit
ahle seated herself In the torture-chair.:
"But I don't see how I shuil make out
Here I am, chambermaid to the Willow
by Inn during tho summer, and It's
chock-full of folks, with lots o' traa
stents coming nnd going aud those ar
my pillow-case teeth !"
Not Among the Kllarlblea.
Edith You would hardly know Bob
bie since ho got back from Kurojie. U
lost all his money tlire and
Ethel Hardly know him why, I;
shau't know him at all! New York
Press. v
There's nothing quite so foolish as)
au angry fool.
LION OF THE HOUR.
i
