Winter Maneuvers of American NWvy J
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Hear Admiral Cnnvus.ucia.
The principal warships of all the Atlantic Squadrons of the United States Navy are comprised in the bis fleet of battleships, cruisers and torpedo boats
now assembled in the Carrlbean Sea to participate in the great winter naval maneuvers .which will go down to history as the most extraordinary naval dis
play ever attempted by the American navy in time of peace. AH America's famous naval commanders are there and Admiral George Dewey who is in su
preme command takes the strongest personal interest in the great demonstration. The Maneuvers started Monday, Dec. 1st, and for weeks to come the
Carrlbean waters will be alive with naval evolutions, day and night attacks on different ports and strategic experiments of all kinds along the coasts of
the different Islands. The whole world watches this remarkable display.
flfie mi Our
Many stories of shooting from ambush
have been brought out by the trial of
the Wyoming murderer, Tom Horn.
Similar to these, is the story of Elliot
Brown of Lusk, Wyoming.
Elliot Brown was a young Englishman,
representing an eastern syndicate, which
was running a bunch of 20,000 sheep on
Black Thunder creek, Wyoming. The
home ranch is twenty miles below the
sheep range. The house stands in a
wooded valley, whose natural beauty Mr.
Brown has improved, until it is more
like an English park than a rough val
ley of Wyoming. About a mile from the
ranch house there are a few acres of
wild wood tangle that Mr. Brown was
too busy to subdue. The road to the
ranch led through this dense under
growth of bushes, overrun with wild
grapevines. In all Wyoming there Is not
a lonelier spot. Even at midday there is
something "creepy" about it. No place
was ever better adapted for a midnight
ambush. One night Elliot Brown was
riding through the wooded tangle. Sud
denly "from the choke-cherry bushes
there was a sharp report, and a bullet
plowed a red furrow across the bridge
of Elliot Brown's nose. The horse
lunged forward around the curve, an
other report of the pistol, but the very
density of the underbrush saved the
man's life.
Brown drove quickly home, took down
a brace of revolvers, and on foot re
turned to the dark wood. He could not
find his enemy. Everyone in the coun
try knew Brown and preferred to shoot
at him from ambush, rather than in the
open field. The would-be murderer
knew that Brown would return with fire
arms. He judged that in his own case
discretion was the better part of valor,
and made friends of his feet.
Brown was a peculiar and lovable
character. He always said that he
hoped at death to be killed by a horse.
Near the ranch js a road nearly as
steep as the roof of a house. No one
else would dream of driving down it.
But Elliot Brown drove down this road
singing an old English song at the top
of his voice. Seeing him start at the
top, no one expected to see him alive
at the foot of the hill.
A curious example of the fulfillment
of presentiment is found in the death
of Mr. Brown's mother. One afternoon
he told his foreman and wife, that he
knew something was wrong in England
with his mother. The foreman's wife
said:
"You are not well, Mr. Brown, you are
slck, or you would not worry so over
'your mother."
The presentment was so strong, how
ever, in Brown's mind, that he decided
to arrange his affairs and start in a few
days on a visit to his mother. Before he
could make the necessary arrangements
for the trip, a telegram came informing
him that on the very afternoon of his
anxiety, his mother had died in far-off
England.
His mother was the only relative that
Elliot Brown had In the world. Her
death made him melancholy and incon
solable. For hours he sat under the
great cedar trees with his face burled
in his hands. The help on the ranch
all loved him. Each. In his rough way.
tried to comfort him, but with no avail.
For weeks it was feared that he might
put an end to his own life. At last,
when every one on the ranch had failed
to cheer him. the foreman's wife decided
to try her little child of five years.
"Mr. Brown," she said. In afterward
repeating the story, "was lying on the
ground by the creek, his feet were In
the water, but he did not notice it. A
soft rain was falling, but still Mr. Brown
lay under the trees. I made up my
mind I would send little John to him
as everyone else had failed to cheer him.
I washed John's little face, and curled
his pretty yellow hair, and said:
"Go talk to Mr. Brown. Johnny, tell
him to get up and come in out of the
rain.'
"I watchpd from behind the door to
see how -John would succeed. The little
boy went right up to him, took hold of
his hand, and with all his might, tried
to pull him up from the wet ground.
Get up, get up, Mr. Brown' he cried,
'Why, you are lying here right in the
water, don't you see you are? You
know, Mr. Brown, that your mother in
England died, and you will die if you
keep on lying in the water.'
"All the time John was pulling with
all his might to try and drag Mr. Brown
from the ground. Mr. Brown looked
right at John, and said, slow-like:
" 'Johnny, are you all that I have left
in this world to love me? Is there no
one left in the world to care if I am
alive or dead but you, Johnny?'
"Then jumping quickly from the
ground, he gathered John in his arms
and, with great strides, marched Into his
own parlor in the other house.
"When Johnycame home I asked him
what Mr. Brown said to him.
" 'Oh,' said John, 'he asked me to stay
with him all night. He said the nights
were so long, but I told him I could not
because my mama was 'flaid nights ex
cep when I slept with her. Then he
took me hard in his arms and kissed me
one two three times right on my
mouth.'
"As we gathered wild currants above
the ranch house, Johnny told me more
of the story:
" 'Mr. Brown never came home but he
had something for me. One time he
bought me a red kite, and we went out
together to fly it. He don't bring me
any more things now. He always took
me with him in the buggy, or just some
times. We went together over Old
Woman creek, and he had me with him.
and he was all right, but the next time
he went, he did not take me, and you
know how it was. The little creek, was,
oh, so wide, and making a great noise.
When Mr. Brown rode in, the horse
sunk out of sight, then the horse turned
in the water and kicked Mr. Brown in
the chest, and he drowned. Now I al
ways fly the kite all alone.' "
It is the remembrance of courtship that
makes married life a tragedy.
At -51 -31
P ?
"Why do you refuse to do my wash
ing any more?" asked the eroUc poet of
the laundry-woman.
"Because," answered she. "of the
things you write on your cuffs. They
ain't proper, and my daughter reads
them."
-::
Briggs It's a funny thing about coal.
Griggs I don't see the fun.
Briggs Why, just as soon as it began
to come up It went down.
NEW GLOBE LIFEBOAT A SUCCESS.
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The new globular lifeboat Is pro
nounced a distinct success and is hailed
by the British coast guards as a great
invention. Recent tests in the British
channel demonstrated the ability of the
new boat to brave the roughest seas.
The b&at will later be introduced In the
United States.
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