Loup City Northwestern
/
VOLUME XXIX.__LOUP CITY, NEBRASKA, THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 1911. NUMBER 34.
IMPORTANT NEWS
NOTES OF A WEEK
LATEST HAPPENINGS THE WORLD j
OVER TOLD IN ITEMIZED
FORM.
EVENTS HERE AND THERE
Into a Few Lines for the
Perusal of the Busy Man
Latest Personal tnfor
IVashington
The -barge 'hat |2.hO© was offered
BUAa B—Iwr XcCsraick for his rote
for William lairimer was repeated be
fore the msim investigating commit
hr at Washington by Albert J. Hop
hiss who was defeated lor re-erection
I# 'be upper house of congress when
Lnnmcr wna chosen.
• • •
Congress will be naked for $ 10.00« ■
for the proper entertainment by the
t'nited States of Admiral Togo, the fa
mows Japanese naval officer. »ho will :
Visit this >uatry immediate!) alter
the cerunaikm festivities in London ,
. . .
George W Hismaa. editor of the
Chtmco inter Ocean, and e*-Governor
Richard Tates, testifying before the
senate investigating committee, mad
vsBpsrte denial* of the use of money
ia 'he Lurtmer elect ion Mr Unman,
however. ’.ee'tSed that he believed a
Jackpot' existed m the legislature
that elected lawtmer. as it had In pre
rodlsg legislatures, but that it was
used for sad against general legisla
(tea and had nothing to do with the
•Section of Loritner.
Inquiry into tbe relationship be
raw* tbe Mormon -buret and tbe
\arnru Sugar Refining company be
gun before tbe boose committee of
inquiry into *fee sugar trust at Wash
sngton. tuHood that Henry O. Have
--ever t first dealings in tbe beet sugar
industry vers vritb (be t tab Sugar
-umpaay. in which tbe Cburcb of
leans Christ at Latter Day Saints r.u
interested
• • •
Tbe l uted S'i'w senate fcnwa s
--J9xn.it t«w reported adversely on tbe
•ood MU by a vote of » to f, and on
tbe termers free list bill by a rote
at • to i ftVa these reports mere
presented to tbe srna'e every chance
at an agreement for a vote on tbe reci
procity MU to bo followed by early
adjournment of tbe extra s-ssion van
• • •
Tbe bouse at representatives re
scued *s accept tbe bill tor direct elec
Ckm of Totted State* senators .n the
form ia which it tamed tbe sena’e.
and by a vote at 111 to 112 sent tbe
measure to commence. The Bristow
amendment was tbe only change made
ty the senate, and it was because of
rrftisai to accept tbss amendment that
•be boar veiled for conference
• • •
In a special message to congress.
Premdent Taft scathingly arraigned
tbe tnasufar urers of what be de
nounced as ’dangerous drug frauds"
and urged congress to amend at this
nasi no tbe pert food and drug law
to strengthen that art !n vital points
«rf weakness recently pointed out by
dsn rums at tbe Tailed States Su
• • •
Domestic
The committee oa labor at the Con
necticut general assembly will report
favorably a bill to make It unlawful to
eacploy any person for seven days a
week. The bill exempts farm laborers
• • •
Locking wo votes of the necessary
77 the Deneen-Johnson waterway
waterpower bill was defeated In the
< *wer bouse at tbe Illinois legislature.
The voce was Ti to 51. two short of
a constttwtlocal majority. Tbe taking
of tbe vote on the bill was attended
by exciting scenes
• • •
The grand lodge at Masona of 1111
ness and about lOOOu members of
the order dedicated a new Mast -1c
Orphans home at La Grange, neat
Chicago.
• • •
Bontnful. accomplished, and only
twenty-tour years of age. Mrs. Dell
Lssvenla Ned Spaete. playwright and
dwtbew. is a raving lunatic in a saai
•artwrs near Boston oa account of tbs
financial misdeeds of Oscar F. Spaete
bar husband, which drove him to sol
dde la a jail cell la Detroit. Mich.
• • •
The Kansas apple crop this rear
will be only one third the normal,
while the peach crop will be only ten
por cent of the usual one This Is
the report of Walter Wellhouse. rec
retary at the State Horticultural to
defy.
e a o
A three day festival of the Turn
vereda of the central states opened st
****** CHy, Mo., with a smoker.
Representatives at societies from
Missouri. Kansas. Illinois. Nebraska,
lows and Colorado win taka part la
the athletic contests and drills.
• • •
Fifty Hutchinson (Kan.) women h*
gsn the digging of the excavation fot
the tenth Hutchinson Methodist
church They raised money enough
in pay for the actual construction
work, but not enongb to pay labored
to dig the basement.
Fourteen persons identified with the
lumber Industry or so-called secre
taries' associations, commonly charac
terized as "the trust/' were indicted
by the special federal grand Jury at
Chicago, which made its returns be
fore Judge Landis in the United States
district court. They are charged with
violating the criminal provisions of
the Sherman anti-trust act.
The American Academy of Medicine,
specializing in medical sociology, be
gan its annual meeting in Los An
geles.
• • •
An amateur won the grand American
handicap shoot at Columbus, Ohio. The
lucky marksman is Harvey Dixon of
Orecogo, Mo., who stood at twenty
yards. He made one miss in a hun
dred shots.
• • •
A north bound Illinois Central pas
senger train was held up by three
masked men on the outskirts cf Mem
phis. Tenn.. and the mail clerks forced
to surrender a registered mail pouch.
• • •
Representative Lee O'Neil Browne
of the Illinois legislature assaulted E.
O Phii!:;is. correspondent for the Chi
ago Tribune, punching him uncon
scious for over half an hour. The at
tack was made in the private room of
Speaker Adkins and the speaker.
Lyman E. Cooley and a half dozen
others were witnesses.
• • *
President Taft, addressing the mem
•ers of 'he New York State Bankers'
association, at a banquet given by
•hem in hin honor at Manhattan Beach,
made an extended argument for a cen
•rai hank and gave his indorsement to
the National Reserve association plan
;>runos"d by ex-Senator Aldrich, chair
man of the monetary commission.
• • •
The world's record is believed to
have been broken at Gulfport. Miss.,
by Mrs. Pifario s fifth set of twins in
• ight years. Her husband weighs
niy ninety pounds. All the children
are living.
Mrs. Wadsworth, who was Mary
Mannering. the actress, but who re
cently divorced James K Hackett and
was married to a Detroit millionaire,
flew ten miles with Aviator Frank Cof
ft-' in a Wright aeroplane at Detroit.
Mich.
• • •
The largest wicker chair ever made
was shipped from Newburgh. N. Y„
o the White House at Washington.
It was built at the order of President
Taft and is large enough to accommo
date two ordinary men.
• • •
Speaking at the Y'ale alumni lunch
eon at New Haven. Conn.. President
Taft declared that the decisions of
the I’nited States Supreme court in
the Standard Oil and American To
bacco f-ases have pointed a clear road
, over which the honest business man
may travel m safety.
• • •
Search is being made by his friends
In Boston and New York for Christian
Sandborg. a noted Danish engineet
who has been missing since early in
June He started from New Y'ork for
Boston June 5.
• • •
Rev. Frank T. I,uce. pastor of a
Dorchester (Mass.) Congregational
church, has filed a petition in volun
tary bankruptcy In which he admits
■wing $20,458 and schedules assets of
$550 59, all in unliquidated claims.
• • •
Personal
Mrs. J. W. Pincbot of Washington,
mother of Gifford Plnchot. is recover
ing from an operation for appendi
citis, performed at the home of her
son. Amos, in New York.
• • •
Minnie Ashley, wife of William As
tor C'hanler. for a long time one of the
beat known of the American vocal
articts. will soon return to the stage.
• • •
Former Senator Henry Gassaway
Davis of West Virginia has announced
the engagement of his granddaughter.
Katherine Brown, to Lieut. Chester
P. Harnett. Fifteenth cavalry. U. S. A.
* * *
F O. Melcher of Chicago, vice-presi
dent of the Rock Island, and his
twelve-year-old daughter were slight
ly hurt and Mrs. Melcher was se
riously but not fatally injured by the
derailment of Mr. Melcher’* special
car near MaeFarland, Kan.
• • •
Foreign
King George and Queen Mary re
viewed a great parade of warships
1 of England and other countries at
Spithead.
...
Emperor William was entertained at
luncheon on board the American bat
tleship Louisiana by Admiral Badger,
commanding the second division of
the Atlantic fleet.
• • •
A thief seized a handbag from Mrs.
Mary Scott Lord Harrison, widow of
Benjamin Harrison, at Venice. Italy.
She screamed and the thief was ar
rested.
• • •
The strike of seamen, which has
seriously inconvenienced many of the
shipping Unes. particularly at the
English ports, was ended when the
employes of the White Star line ac
cepted the terms of the company and
returned to work.
• • •
Ferdinand Edmond Duez, receiver
for the dissolved French religious
congregations, was convicted by' a
Jury in Paris of embezzling $1,200,000
and was sentenced to twelve years' im
prisonment at hard labor.
FORM ORGANIZATION
TO PROMOTE TEACHING OF
SPEECH TO THE DEAF.
NEWS FROM OVER THE STATE
What ia Going on Here and There
That it of Interest to the Read
era Throughout Nebraska
and Vicinity.
An association of Nebraska parents
of deaf or partly deaf offspring has
been formed to promote the teaching
of speech that unfortunate children
may learn to talk and understand by
reading the lips of others and thus be
better able to take a part in the ac
tivities of life.
The plan of education contemplated
by the law passed by the late legisla
ture has proven successful in various
other states when given proper condi
tions and a thorough trial, and the
Nebraska system had ought to prove
no exception.
It Is desired by the association to
enroll among i<^; members all iwrents
or guardians of deaf children in the
state and to get into communication
with parents or guardians of children
not of school age, that assistance may
be rendered them in helping their
children in lip reading before enter
ing school, and if desired in employ
ing special teachers.
Any of the following officers of the
sssociation will be glad to give de
sired information: E. J. Babcock,
president. North Loup; Mrs. A. N.
Dafoe, secretary, Tecumseh; Major
C. F. Scharman. Omaha; Superin
tendent J. F. McLane. Florence, and
Al. X. Dafoe. Tecumseh, members of
the executive committee.
Electric Shock Causes Death.
Humboldt.—Mrs. Fred A. Fisher, for
many years a resident of this place,
dropped dead while washing dishes at
her home. Indications pointed to the
cause as an electric shock. The de
ceased was known to be especially
sensitive to the effects of electricity
and in turning hot water from a fau
cet which was near a grounded wire
her hand came in contact with a cur
rent strong enough to cause death
from fright and shock.
> Nebraska Ranchman Lynched.
Valentine. Neb.—Charles Sellers, a
ranchman, was lynched at the ranch
of Jock Hutch, seventy-five miles
southwest of here, by A. F. Heath,
Kenneth Murphy and two Weed broth
ers, all small ranchers. The four men
gave themselves up at Cody, Neb., and
roamed the streets all day awaiting
the arrival of the sheriff.
Louisville Votes Bonds.
Louisville—This city, at a special
election, voted to issue bonds to the
amount of $16,000 for the erection of
a municipally owned water works sys
tem.
Reports over the state are for a
bumper wheat crop.
Flag day was generally celebrated
throughout the state.
The Geneva junior normal began the
third week with eighty students en
rolled.
Grand Island was selected as the
place for the next state meeting of the
Eagles.
Grading on the Kearney and lllack
Hills rail toad is progressing from Cal
laway west.
The state holiness camp meeting is
in session at Epworth Lake park at
Lincoln.
The next meeting of the Nebraska
State Health association will be held
at Hastings.
The summer meeting of Lancaster
county territorial pioneers will be held
at Hickman August 12.
Civil service examinations will be
held July 15 for rural carriers at Ray
mond, Roca. and Rulo, Neb.
.Melvin Griffin, a carpenter of Rus
kin. while swimming in the Little Rlue
river near Oak, wa3 drowned.
The city council of York estimates
that it will take $26,000 to pay the ex
penses of York for the next fiscal year.
Douglas county will carry the ban
ner for the largest attendance at the
annual convention of the Nebraska
State Sunday School association for
the ensuing year.
Wayne Moore died in the Clarkson
hospital at Omaha as a result of in
juries vreceived when his big touring
car turned completely over one mile
west of Waterloo.
Police Officer Henry L. Wooldridge
of Omaha, who shot and killed Wil
liam Met*, a railroad man. was ar
raigned in police court and formaliy
charged with murder in the second de
gree.
The remains of Col. G. W. E. Dor
eey, who died at Salt Lake City, were
brought to his home at Fremont for
Interment.
One of those busy little under
ground workers—the pocket gopher—
cut a long tunnel Into the Tri-State
canal cast of Mitchell, with the result
that it will take several hundred
yards of earth to repair it.
The dreaded Hessian fly has made
Its appearance in Saunders county,
acconiing to a farmer residing near
Fremont. He brought several heads
of wheat from his farm which showed
that the fly had started in his locality.
Th3y are catching fifteen-pound cat
fish up around Scottsbluff.
Dr. Roy Alexander of Bristow, Neb.
was found dead in the hay loft.
Eighteen marriage licenses were is
sued in one day recently by the Lan
caster county clerk.
Cedar Bluffs is in the midst of a
Sunday baseball fight between the law
and order league and the basebal'
club.
The Centenary M. E. church at Bea
trice will ask the general conference
of that body to return Rev. Brown te
that pastorate.
Dr. J. H. Thompson at Albion was
caught under his auto when it skidded
off a bridge, and is nursing sever?.’
broken bones.
Louisville has voted to issue bonds
to the amount of $16,000 for the erec
tion of a municipally-owned water
works system.
Many farmers in Gage county have
begun harvesting their wheat crop,
which is yielding much better thas
they anticipated.
“Fainting Bertha" Liebbke is caus
ing no end of trouble for Warden
James Delahunty of the state pcniten
tiary and his aids.
Hastings will soon have the first
paid commercial club secretary in the
state who gives ail his time to the
work ot the club.
Dr. W. H. Wilson of Lincoln was
elected president of the Nebraska
State Health association at its session
just closed at Omaha.
John W. Holt, a prominent citizen ol
Falls City, was overcome by heal
while harvesting and died before as
sistance could be gotten.
Omaha is being considered by Post
master General Hitchcock as a pos
sible place for the location of the rail
way mail division headquarters.
The Dempster Manufacturing com
pany at Beatrice celebrated its twenty
fifth anniversary Saturday. One ol
the features was a parade over a mils
•in length.
Miss Selma Weichel of Plymouth is
ill with blood poisoning caused from
vaccination, the fiower* and decora
tions in a millinery store in which she
is employed being directly responsible
Overcome with gas while installing
a gas stove. John Vandelklnberg. a
Luicoln plumber, owes his life to Clif
ford McKim, who happened info the
room and dragged the stove man la
air and safety.
The projected auditorium for West
Point which has hung fire for some
years has at last reached the stage
where it is an assured fact. The so
liciting committee in a few days se
cured $13,000 of the $15,000 needed tc
finance the scheme.
The state board of public lands and
buildings have awarded a contract for
the construction of a hospital building
at the state home for soldiers at Grand
Island.
Professor H. W. Caldwell, head ol
the department of American history
at the state university, has left with
his family for a year in Europe. It is
his first extended vacation since 1880
State Superintendent J. W. Crab •
tree will conduct an excursion to the
N. E. A. at San Francisco, July 8-12.
leaving Lincoln on the evening of Julj
4. Chancellor Avery of Nebraska uni
versity will appear on the N. E. A
program.
The state board of public lands and
buildings have returned to Lincoln
from Curtis, where the members ac
cepted a plat of 463 acres for the
agricultural school. They also fixed
on the location of the building. At
Kearney the board decided to accept
the preposition of a private concern
to furnish light and power to the in
dustrial home for 5 cents per kilowatt
The board believes that this is cheap
er than to run the plant now installed
at the home.
The Nebraska State Furniture Deal
era’ association has been disbanded
President W. G. White calling the las'
session together at Lincoln. The dis
bandment is the result of too few
members taking an active interest it
it and the greater influence and scop*
of the state federation of retailers
which takes in all lines of mercantiii
activity.
Convicts in the penitentiary hav*
begun to besiege the governor witl
applications for pardon and parole un
der the new law which goes into effec
July 7. All such requests will b*
turned over to the new advisory boar:
of parole and pardons when it comes
into existence.
Professor Fred Rasmussen, head o.
the department cf dairying in th«
New Hampshire agricultural college
has accepted the position of head ol
the dairy repartment of the Univer
eity of Nebraska.
Secretary W. R. Mellor of the state
hoard of agriculture has returned from
Des Moines, where he conferred with
the agent of the Wright Bros, in re
gard to flying machines for use at the
Nebraska state fair in September. Mr
Mellor made a contract with the
Wrights for two machines and two
aviators during the fair.
P. J. Harrison, registrar of the state
university since 1907, has tendered
his resignation, to bo effective Novem
ber 1. or before at the pleasure of the
board.
ROOFS AMENDMENT
WILL UNDOUBTEDLY BE DE
FEATED IN THE SENATE.
INSORBENTS WILL COME OUT
Sparring for Proper Sort of Opening
and Look to La Follette as
Leader.
Washington.—The Root amendment
to the wood pulp and paper schedule
of the Canadian reciprocity bill,
which the administration has been
fighting as fatal to the agreement,
undoubtedly will be defeated before
the senate adjourns.
The wool tariff and the free list
bills as the house passed them do
not exactly meet the approval of the
democratic force in the senate nor
that of the republican insurgents, but
they form the basis for the fight that
is to bring Canadian reciprocity and
the whole tariff question into the
open for a protracted debate.
The extent to which the insurgent
republican senators will be inclined
to go is expected to be made clear
duting the tariff discussion this
week. So far only indefinitely out
lining their course they have indi
cated that they favor all the valu
able tariff reductions that they can
squeeze out of the situation.
Some of them have asserted their
readiness to put on to the recip
rocity bill any amendments they
think susceptible of successfully
threading the executive and legisla
tive channels, even in the face of the
president's veto threat.
There is a decided lack of demo
cratic support, however, for the pro
posals that the insurgents have hint
ed at. Senator Bailey will fight for
an amending of the Canadian agree
ment to exempt from free trade the
products of the farm, but while he
will have some democratic and much
insurgent support for this plan, it Is
not expected to prevail.
Senator La Follette is working on
general amendments that he will of
fer to the reciprocity measure and to
the wool and free list bills. He is de
termined to lead a hard fight for a
general plan of revision of the more
important schedules on the tariff
law.
His action and his amendments
and arguments are being awaited by
many of the insurgents who do not
care to open up a fight until they
have had the opportunity of seeing
what he proposes and the effect his
arguments have. Meantime they are
preparing for the fight which prom
ises to be confined principally to In
surgents and a few democrats.
The direct election of senators will
come up again early in the week.
The house has voted down the Bris
tow amendment, attached to the bill
in the senate, and has asked for a
conference on the measure. The con
ference committee of the two houses
is expected to he named within a
day or two.
The senate will also receive the
territory bill, passed by the house
early in the week. The territories
committee approved the bill as pas
sed by the honse, admitting Arizona
and New Mexico without the ap
proval of their constitutions.
Awaiting a clearing up of the po
litical situation in the senate and
more definite knowledge as to wheth
er tariff legislation which the lower
branch may originate will have any
chance of passage by the senate, the
house this week practically will mark
time.
THE MAINE EXPLOSION.
Secret of Destruction of Ship Will
Never Be Known.
Tampa. Fla.—"The secret of the
destruction of the battleship Maine
will never be known.” said General
W. H. Bixby, chief of engineers in
charge of the work of raising the
Maine, upon bis arrival here from
Havana. The destruction to the ves
sel was such, says General Bixby.
and the deterioration has been so
great that it will be impossible to tell
whether the ship was blown up from
a force within or without. The great
est force, however, was from the in
side, indicating that the forward
magazine had exploded. Whether
this was from a sympathetic explo
sion caused by a torpedo from the
outside may forever remain a mys
tery.
Cholera Suspect on Ship.
New York.—The steamer Ham
burg, from Genoa and Naples, which
arrived here, was detained at quar
antine for observation. She reported
the death at sea, six days ago. of a
5-year-old bov from an ailment symp
tomatic. the health officers say, of
cholera.
Hotel Partly Wrecked.
Estes Park, Colo.—The Stanley
hotel, built at a cost of $ 500,000. was
partially destroyed by an explosion
of gas. Eight persons were injured,
one seriously.
Waif Gets Big Estate.
Los Angeles. Cal.—The 7-year-old
waif of unknown parents gets the
bulk of the big estate left by William
C. Hess, a retired farmer of Charter
Oak, la., according to a decision of
the court settling the contest brought
by Hess' son.
A CRAZY TOWERMAN
MIXES TRAIN SIGNALS
SHOWS RED LIGHTS FOR WHITE,
STOPS TWO TRAINS AND
SCARES PASSENGERS.
Philadelphia.—For two hours the
other day trains of the Baltimore Cen
tral, the Philadelphia, Baltimore and
Washington and the West Chester
branches of the Pennsylvania railroad
were at the mercy of an insane tower
operator at the junction of these three
lines at Wawa. Suddenly losing his
reason while manipulating signal
lights, William Hurlinger, the tower
man, all but sent half a dozen trains
crashing into one another in the dark
ness. and finally flagged two Wash
ington trains.
Shortly after one o’clock one train
was brought to a full stop. While the
crew were waiting impatiently for ex
planation another train of the some
division came snorting to a stop from
Towerman Becomes Crazed.
-he opposite direction. Then Hur
linger appeared on the tracks. He
was not seen until he sprang Into the
glare of the first train’s headlight.
He is twent-five years of age and of
powerful physique.
"It’s a hold-up,” ran like an electric
:urrent through both trains. Some of
-he passengers began transferring val
uables into places of possible safety
as every now and then a shadowy
orm could be seen springing through
:he parallel shafts of light toward one
of the flagged trains.
The engineers were not alive to the
'act that they had a maniac to deal
with until Hurlinger showed his face
.he features distorted and the mouth
working insanely through the window
of the locomotive of the first train
Bringing all their cunning to bear on
the situation they gradually talked
him into a state of semi-pacification
snd then sprang on him.
At the grip of fingers about his
throat Hurlinger collapsed. It was
thought that his reason had returned,
but once In his home at West Chester,
:o which he returned obediently and
In a sort of stupor, he again became
frenzied. Brandishing a loaded re
volver, he drove his wife and father
ind mother, who had been awakened
by his unexpected return, into the
street in their night clothes. He was
removed to an institution for the in
sane.
GOT AWAY WITH COLLECTION
—
Colored Deacon Passes the Hat at a
Revival and Skips Out
With the Coin.
Oklahoma City, Okla.—While “Sin
Killer” Griffiths, a revivalist, was at
the height of his plea for sinners to
come to the mourners' bench the
other night at a negro “protracted
meet in',” a deacon from a rival
church, who had been graciously act
ing as usher, proposed that a collec
tion be taken. “Amen!" chorused
half a hundred brethren and sisters
“Glory, hal-le-lu-yah!” shouted Brud
dah Griffith. “The time am come for
Skips With the Collection.
such proceedings. Pass along the
basket.” The deacon took up the
collection and dashed out the door
There were cries of consternation
and then threats of violence. The
meeting broke up when more than
100 negroes started in pursuit of the
fleeing brother. They chased him ten
blocks, but he dashed into an alley
and escaped with his loot.
THE LAZIEST MAN
IS FOJNDAT LAST
FOR TWELVE WHOLE YEARS THIS
WEARY MAN HAS STAYED
IN HIS BED.
—
IS AN INMATE OF POORHOUSE
With an Appetite That Would Shame
a Goat John Muncia Spends His
Existence in Bed—Laughs at Any
Suggestion of Work.
Jerseyville. 111.—John Muncia is the
laziest man on earth. Furthermore
he is proud of his somewhat degrading
distinction. For the last 12 years he
has lain on his bed in the Jersey coun
ty poorhouse, eight miles from Jersey
ville, and replied to every command
that he arise and work with peals of
weird laughter. Physicians have ex
amined him time and time again and
they declare that he is free from any
infirmity that would incapacitate him
from active work.
Now an old man probably seventy
one years of age he admits that he
was born in Indiana at some point
which he calls "below Fort Wayne,”
and that his father died when he was
eleven years of age. Beyond this he
refuses to be interviewed and usually
answers his questioners with a burst
of gleeful laughter.
He simply is an excellent example
of what strength of character will ac
complish for a man. Since the day
12 years ago that he made up his mind
to keep to his bed he has made that
his one object in life with the result
that he has succeeded, perhaps, even
beyond his early expectations. For a
time the poorhouse officials tried to
force him from bed by refusing to
bring his meals to him but John, un
perturbed, simply giggled, turned his
face to the wall, and waited. After a
lime the poorhouse people were van
quished and forced to bring him food
for fear that he would starve to death.
He is a small, slender man with a
clean-cut intellectual looking face, yet
his appetite has been unimpaired by
his long stay in bed. He demands
his three meals a day and upon get
ting them eats every crumb that Is
handed to him. His average meal
would put to rout the most husky
farmhand, yet his limbs are shrunken
from disuse.
The only physical exercise that this
laziest of men permits himself is the
Old John Muncia in Bed.
screwing up of his eyes, accompanied
by a wrinkling of the forehead much
as though he were busily engaged in
solving some Very difficult and intri
cate problem.
During his entire twenty years’ staj
upon the county poor farm he has not
given one clue to his boyhood or the
past of his youth. The first that was
known of him was when he turned uf
in St. Charles county. Missouri, latei
removing across the river to Jersey
county. Illinois. The last piece 01
manual labor with which he has beer
connected was a bit of wocd chopping
for a farmer of Elsah, 111., and seem
ingly he still regrets it although he
alludes to it with a half chuckle.
It was 12 years ago that the olt
man one morning announced he would
stay In bed. except for the time need
ed to go to his three square ones £
day, and he kept the promise. A yeai
later, wearied by the walking thus
necessitated, and by the exertion ol
dressing himself, he said that there
^fter he would stay in bed. Only onc«
in eleven years has he violated that
resolve. One very hot day during
the summer before last he found him
self without drinking water in hit
airy second-floor apartment where he
lies alone, and descended the steps tc
get the drink, also returning unaided
He may have thought to do this unob
served, but he was detected, and in
mates of the place still remember the
incident as an astonishing one.
During the 20 years which the old
man has spent as an almoner of Jer
sey county he never has been seen tc
look at a book or paper, and the rea
sonable theory that he cannot read
is hard to reconcile with his lntelll
gent, educated, almost refined appear
ance, even when lying on a cot in a
poorhouse dormitory.
Despite his apparent dislike for con
versation with other people, and his
disuse of books and papers, he can
tell the day of week, the day of the
month and the year with as much pre
cision as though a calendar hung be
fore his bed.
Chuckling, wrinkling up his face and
narrowing his eyes, occasionally talk
ing Just enough to tantalise persons
curious about his past, old John prob
ably will carry his secrets, if he has
any, to the graveyard behind the poor
house bill. And meanwhile be will re
main in the bed which has supported
his work-hating frame for the last 12
years, and consume enough daily pro
yender to feed a harvest hand.