The Abbeville press and banner. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, February 01, 1893, Image 6
IA WEIRD M Y STER Y;
1
Tracing a Dark Crime.
BY ALEXANDER ROBINSON, M. D. j
i
1
CHAPTER XJT. (
I began to see things that had been (
^hidden beL'nd a veil of mystery.
Leonore- his wife! 1
Something had come between them in
the past, and the old Doctor believed his '
son to be a gnilty man.
8uppose sh? was guilty, would he ever i
disclose the past?
I believed llim a man of an iron will, 1
like his father before him. Truly had
h9 said torture could not force him to reveal
what he had seen.
This is a surprise to me, Mr. Ketcham,"
I said, frankly.
"As much so, perhaps, as the discovery
. ?f Theodore's indentity was to me."
"Leonore is his wife, and he was
making an effort to see her when?he
looked upon a sight that sent him away
:again without accomplishing his er- i
rand."
"So it seems. * (
"Honestly now, Mr. Ketch am, since ,
you are not willing to believe that Theo- ,
dore saw his father killed, what do you <
suppose he did gaze upon?" .
"He saw his wife enter the old Doctor's
room, and her face must have told him \
that she was crazy for the time. Unable ]
to bear the cruel sight he hastened away, j
came back to look again ano then fled. ,
"When you told him how his father, ,
Instead of committing suicide, as the ,
Coroner's jury decided, and the after- | ,
noon papers printed, had really been
murdered, his mind leaped at once to the ,
dreadful truth, and he closed his lips (
?pon the story. \
"That Is the most probable view we
can place upon the matter, looking upon
him in a charitable manner. Whether ,
Leonore is guilty or not, her husband t
believes now that she slew his father iu
a fit of Insane frenzy, and believing that .
Ike is the one who holds the secret, has
resolved to die before he will reveal It." ,
"That straightens the kinks out of the j
line up to a certain place, Mr. Ketcham." ,
"Where is that, Doctor?"
"The ppssible presence of a second ]
party upon that trellis of vines on that
night" j
Mr. Ketcham was measuring the distance
between a crack in the ceiling and {
a corner of the room. He did not even ,
deign to oast me a glance. f
"Ah! Doctor, you have something tc ,
ay upon that subject?" he drawled.
"Yes, sir. In the first place, Theodore
denies having passed more than once j
each way between the walls and the ^
house."
"There were two trails."
"I know it; and yet they diverged iu t
places. * ,
"Vin oTumtnA^ thft marks?"
-I did."
"And thought they had bees made by <j
the same person?" i
"At the time I never questioned it, and
yet I can now see that a clear examina- c
Hon might have revealed some differ r
enc&" 4
"What next, Doctor?"
"Theodore also swears he never owned a
or carried a tool of the kind I described, a
and which you affirm is an ingenious
device of a burglar or cracksman." t
Mr. Ketcham reached out his hand s
and took the article in question from a v
mall drawer near him. Not until then a
did he withdraw his eyes from the ceil- v
tog.
' ^Thls is an Ingenious device used by
burglars almost exclusively, although,
perhaps, there might be a few that o
would fall into other hands." t
"Well, he declines the honor of owner- o
hip."
I fancied I could see the detective'? t
lace light up, as though I had given him g
a valuable clew. c
"That may be all stuff and nonsense,
Doctor. Mind, I merely suggest that c
Idea, and do not affirm it as my belief, t
We do not know Theodore yet He may
disappoint us and turn out a diabolical t
Main." t
Was this an attempt to turn me ofl <3
upon another tack'
I half believed it, ana yet at the same ?
time did not give myself away, simply
making up my mind that more would be s
J * iVJ- A. it.
nearu irum uu? quaruer iu tut lutuie.
The case was a remarkable one. li
Mr. Ketcham, a detective of great ex- s
perience, had solemnly declared It to be c
the most mysterious and complicated of p
his life. fc
If this were the case, then I conld not 8
expect to solve it without great labor.
What made it more difficult was the a
fact that there were so many trails leading
away from the scene of the crime,
and any of these, at different times, *
seemed to be the right track.
"Doctor, I told you of one discovery I
had mode. Now, there is another that
may interest you. 1
"When I went down that morning to
ceo Ursula; I found her examining the
pantry window, which had been opened
by a deft hand in the night."
I heard his words with a feeling of both ?
astonishment i nd satisfaction.
It seemed t:> be a link in the chain
leading to the third party.
"Then a burglar entered the house
i through the pantry window?"
' "That seemed to be the indication.
What was singular about it was that not
% thing bad been stolen."
"The deuce! that is singular."
"Perhaps T heodore entered the house
this way when he came either the first
or second time."
"That is possible, of course."
Did Mr. Ketcham believe this?
It was hard to tell, for his face was
liko that of a sphinx, and beyond the
kon. qIan ordinary reader.
Ho woro amaslC, figuratively speaking,
beyond which It was impossible to spy.
What if there had been another party
In tho house on this night?who was ho? i
If a burglar, what a fool not to havo i
carried off the plunder whilo he had tho
chance, and not go away empiy-nanaca. i
I made up ray mind to investigate this
matter before I would be satisfied. <
Perhaps this person who had been
lurking in the neighborhood, and who 1
bad entered tho houso after all, it I
oeraod from Uic pantry window, might
not have been a burglar after all. I
Who then?
My mind was clear as a bell. All that '
I had seen and heard relative to this
ease rose up before me. <
I realized that this was the last chance ,
to save Lconore.
Should this fail then she must inevitably
bo guilty.
It all depended upon who was meant
by Pr. Seabury when he expressed himself
in dai y fear of some one. If we
could only fathom this mystery of his
past, th.M truth might be made clear.
Who could help me?
My thoughts turned to Theodore. Ho ,
might tell wliat mystery of The "past This i
was connected with his father.
The only question that aroso was
whether he would feel so inclined. i
There was no need of tolling all thiu to
Mr.. Ketcham.
The advantage was already on his
side, since he had drawn out all I knew, *
and suited himself about returning the
favor. t
By this I mean that he told me what j.
tie discovered, but without taking me
fully into his confidence, and explaining
the possibilities of each discovery.
I did not feel hurt by thiB way of con- 1
iuctinjr the .case. JTrom the beginning c
iTTaO TeaTFzeiTthal IVwas'an horiffr to "be .
connected wifh a man of sterling worth ;
like Abner Kctcham.
I was contented to assist him by any !
means that lay in my power, without any
desire to reap the reward.
In the name of justice I would work;
at the same time It was with the hope
that I could help to prove the innocence ?
sf the one against whom the case seemed :
darkest?Leonore.
My mind was set In a certain quarter,
and I was anxious to once more begin .
work, so that I might the better learn <
whether my last suspicions were founded ^
upon fact or were fated to be wafted
away at the first breath of cooling wind. ^
In some way I must find out who had ^
entered through the pantry window, ,
what their object had been, and also .
what they had seen or done.
If this end could be achieved, I felt
that the curtain must be raised and a
glimpse of the truth be discovered.
Every means within my power must bo
brought to bear upon the matter, with t
this end in view.
In connection with this, I believed I ?
had a strong point, whether Mr. Ketcham \
noticed it or not. t
When we examined the tracks In the
old room adjoining the Doctor's, and the c
detective had fitted Leonore's small slipper
into them, I had noticed two things
which I believe I made note of at the n
time. j]
These were that there were other g
tracks present, somewhat larger than | t
hers, and also that in places these
heavier ones completely covered the c
marks we believed Leonore had left,
thus establishing a very important t
point, viz: this other person had passed i
through the dusty room after Leonore. d
Another little thing gave me courage a
this way, for I had seen a faint touch
3f blood upon the knob of the door, as b
though the knife had rubbed against it
This fact was brought out again by Mr. h
Ketcham, who mentioned it, although at c
the time I had not known that he was a
iware of its presence. n
Putting these things all together, I be- r
;an to believe I had a strong case.
The party who had murdered the old w
physician, be it man or woman, had en- n
tered the house by means of the pantry
window, as Mr. Ketcham had seen. si
Perhaps he had first tried the vines a
Dut changed to the other. p
When his bloody work was done he had tl
etreated in the same way. fj
This was easy to place. I took a posi- b
live and keen pleasure In noting how q
leatly all the facts seemed to join together,
just as though the mechanism r<
vere complete within the affair. o
One little thing still troubled me. si
This was the long black hair taken I
rom the hand of the deceased. We had s<
>elieved that ho had torn it from the ]i
lead of the person who had murdered tl
rim, and this nad appeared to establish u
ho fact that this party must be a g
roman, r<
Was this necessarily so?
I approached the subject carefully, si
letermined not to leave a stone unturned n
n the endeavor to ferret out the truth.
First: It was not proven that this hair d
ame from the head of his assassin. It
night have been deposited there by accilent.
g1
Then again the party might have been ^
, woman in disguise. No one could say
,ught to the contrary. w
As a third thought: This supposed
mrglar, whom I believed to be the assasin,
must prove the long dreaded foe for n
rhose coming Dr. Seabury had watched
,nd waited, knowing that fate was
Tinging the time nearer.
Who, then, could this enemy be? C(
My mind went back. ^
The good Doctor had spent many year9 t|
f his life in India, and it was probably 0
here where he had incurred the hatred
f this ntrtv.
Then the vengeance-seeker might be a j
hug, one of that secret band ot assas- t]
ins to whom the use of the cord and t]
reese is sacred. ^
The presence of the wound made by a v
reese suggested that such was the i.
ruth.
This far had I come, patching it up on e,
he way, when, happening to look
oward Mr. Ketcham, I saw that he had ^
.uietly inserted his hand into his pocket.
When he drew it out he tossed a small
rhite object toward me. J1
"Examine that, Doctor," he said, ^
Imply. y
When I opened It out I saw it was a
idy's embroidered handkerchief. A few
tains sj Jalnpd marked it. Looking ,J
loser r coufd see where it had been ?
artly cut, as though a sharp instrument
iad teen drawn through it. Further
till, in one corner was the letter L .
"Where did you get this, Mr. Ketch>tn?"
I asked, holding my breath. .
His answer eave me a terrible blow. I
"In the room of Lenore, hidden belind
a trunk, Doctor." g
CHAPTER XV. ^ C
unconsciously ?
A shudder went ^
Of what -avail a
this trying to fight against "
the hand of fate? Better give 0
<3|^ it up, and let the hand of jus- ^
tice, in the shape of Mr. ^
Ketcham, have its course.
w Truly, I felt discouraged, n
the prospect ahead looked so ?
Again I minutely Examined the frail b
web in my hand. c
There could hardly be the least doubt
but that a knife of some sort had been 1
drawn through tho handkerchief to ''
cleanse it.
s
Was it the creese that was wont to He t
jpon the table in Leonore's room, used a
is a paper cuttcr?
Mr. Ketcham seemed to divine my u
thoughts.
Out from one of those capacious pock;ts
he drew tho veritable weapon. I
Evidently he had been putting his time r
to good advantage around tho house on
the avenue, while I wA chasing myths. 1
"See here, Doctor, how precisely this t
fits, and tell me if you think it was tho
weapon that was drawn through this /
kercliict."
I did look. He proved it to me in such t
a. way that I must have confessed it as a t
fact, even though it had signed tho c
death-warrant of my dearest friend.
Either that creese, or a blade justliko
it, had been drawn through the handkerchief
.
"I am afraid I must give it up. sir."
"I wouldn't do that, Doctor. This far
you have carried your end of the log in
a manner highly creditable to you, and
with the greatest admiration from me.
If you seo any chance for work still
ahead, ferret it out. It is best to make
all safe and sure."
I was not a little surprised at these
words from Mr. Kctcham. They puzzled
me for quite a time.
What was his object in uttering them
(for that he kad an fMzrt j knew was
jositive, as Tie was not the man ?o do
my thing haphazard)?
Did ie want to keep me away from
he warm trail, because I might bother
lim?
If that trail led to Leonore I was glad
o be kept away, for I could not have a
villing hand in dragging her before the
:urious public as a criminal.
On tbe other hand, did Abner Ketcham
>elieve there was a slight possibility of
.he truth being other than It now seemed,
md that he wished me to be working
his up while he was busy elsewhere?
This might be so.
I hoped it was the truth.
Well, I had seen Theodore, and learned
l11 there was to discover. atPJ?t_hi.m,_y.et
Vfi\ Ivetcham 3id not~S6om"to"de7T6ve mm
n any way the guilty party.
Ah! a thought flashed across my brain.
Theodore was Leonore's husband,
mnished from his father's home. What
f, after all, he proved to be the man
vho had entered the house by the pantry
vindow?could it be possible that he
vould seek her room and secure the
cnife, afterward wiping it upon one of
icr dainty handkerchiefs, and secreting
he same in her room, where a search
rould reveal it?
For what should he do this?to cast
uspicion upon her?
Perish the thoaght. I had seen enough
if the man to believe him incapable of
his.
Why, he had even declared that he
rould suffer any torture rather than tell
rhat he had seen when he looked in ai
he window.
This might be a cunning trick, but I
rvnl/1 nnt Virinff rnwaAlf t.n hfillfiVfi it.
VUJVi UVW W* '"p ? - ?
I turned to Mr. Ketcham again.
"Since you wish it, sir, I will continue
ay investigations outside, leaving this
aside mystery to you. It is more omental
to you than it would ever be
o me."
He smiled peculiarly, but made no
omment on my words.
"See here, Doctor, when you examined
his blade before, you missed something.
?hat little speck up near the hafjt is
ried blood. I have examined it throhgh
microscope."
"Then it seems settled that Dr. Seaury
was killed by this blade?"
"I shall have that settled in a few
ours. I am to bring to a celebrated
hemist this blood-stained handkerchief
nd that portion of the old Doctor's
ight-robe where you found the little
Dund, red mark, just over the wound.
"The chemist will be able to tell me
rhether the blood of the same person
larks both.
"You know science is making great
trides, and they say that a minute- exmination
shows that it is about as imossible
to find a strict resemblance in
tie blood of two persons as it is in their
ices. The presence of bacteria, or some
uch minute animalcule, determines the
uestion."
"I understand that, sir. .You can
eadily ascertain your point In my
pinion it will prove that tho blood is the
a,me. What I want to know is: did
<eonore do this deed, or was it done by
)me one elso who entered the houss
ke a burglar, and to hide his crime took
Ms knife, replacing,it again, .and even
sing a handkorchief belonging to the
irl to wine off. the few drops of blood
umainlng on the blade."
"Doctor, you have the case in a nutaell.
That is exactly how it stands
ow."
"Well, sir, what do you wish me to
o?"
'"Nothing against your will."
"Mr. Ketcham, you must not under
tand the case in that way. I am eager
> work in any direction save one."
"And that I have not asked you to
rork upon, Doctor."
"I know it."
"There is one thing which as yet has
ot been followed up."
"The burglar?"
"Yes; the man who entered at the panry
window. Who was he?what did he
ame for?what did he do and see, and
'hy did he leave without stealing a
tiing, when the whole house was spread
pen before?
"These are pertinent questions which
tay have a decidcd bearing on the case,
ask you to take them up, feeling sure
iat if you carry the idea out as you did
ie other trail leading to Theodore, it
rill only be a question of a short time
efore the truth in that quarter is
nown."
His words were uttered in a calm,
arnest tone, and he took my hand as if
) assure as that he did not mean to
atter.
That settled it with me. I would do
mch ior Mr. Ketcham. He was a maD
j win one's earnest admiration and deotion.
I was anxious to get off.
"Hold on a minute, Doctor," he said,
lughing, as I was about bidding him
ood day, "perhaps I can help you a little1
this matter."
I jumped at this offer.
"You will oblige me very much, sir, by
oing such a thing," I replied.
"Sit down again. Now, I have examled
the work at the pantry window, and
should say it was done by an expert.
"Perhaps you may not know that these
rst-class cracksmen have each a peuliarway
of running things, but It is a
let.
"More than once I have been able to
all at a glance whose hand had done a
ertain job just from the manner in
fhich the fellow had gone to work to
vercome certain difficulties in his way.
"My first thought, then, was to look
or some such private mark that would
etray t)*? fellow's identity.
"Certain things gave me what I was
isposed to believe was a clue, and I felt
lmost ready to swear that the man who
ad entered the pantry window was no
ther than an expert cracksman known
D the fraternity under the name of
Oloncl Cain.
"Now, my idea is that you hunt up this
lan, get in with him by pretending to be
f his ilk, and gradually worm your way
ato his confidence, when, the conditions
eing favorable, you can get at his se*
ret"
"You do not approve, then, of hurling
he truth at him and making him coness?""
"That would all depend upon circumtances,
Doctor. You might find a beter
opportunity to work that way than
,ny other."
"To take it literally, then, I am to use
ay own discretion in the matter?"
"Certainly."
"Now, since that point is settled, Mr.
vetcbam, what assistance can you give
do in looking this man up?"
"I can be of some help to you there,
doctor;" and as he spoke he drew a large
>ook toward mm.
As he opened it I saw that it was a
private rogues' gallery.
Scores on scores of Dictures were
here," each"secured in fts place Gy a little
lasp, and under all of them were from
>ne to twenty lines of writing, telling
vho the parly was, what they were
vanted for, and full particulars, includng
the reward offered for their apprelotislon?a
very important fact with deectives.
Turning over the leaves lightly, he at
ength stopped and held the book out to
nf
I saw the face of a man who might
lavo attracted attention anywhere.
The features were 6trong, but a praciced
eye could read the marks both of
lissipation and free license to criminal
iractice. There was a cunning iook
ibout tho eye too that declared the mau
o be one whom tho ordinary police
fquid ever fee Raffled by.
h ^
UnOerrieaTE x reaJTa few lines?It waa
the rogne's biography.
"Coionel Cain?real name unknown,
but supposed to come of good family
over in London. Fled from London for
large embezzlement, defying extradition.
Now an expert cracksman. Believed to
be concerned In the Fairley case, the
Judge robbery, the Manhattan Bank affair,
the Cope burglary and many others.
Age about forty. Well educated. Inclined
to be social and might be reached
that way, if needed."
That was all.
I understood the concluding words to
mean that as yet there was no reward
offered for this man, the officials had not
been able to connect him closely with any
of the crimes of the past.
While I was reading this the detective
had taken the photograph out.
"Keep it while you are at work. A
look now and then may be of benefit in
determining whether you have struck the
right man or not."
"Thank you, Mr. Ketcham, I shall do
as you sav. Have you any idea, where I
shall Be likely to run across CETsTalEer
slippery gentleman?"
"Yes, I can tell you even that"
?? J - J A- ?: ??
116 proceeuuu vu girv uikj iuouj utuuuo
In a manner that forced them upon my
mind so that I could not forget.
When this had been done I knew there
was nothing more for me to do except
wait for night to come, when I might begin
my work.
Then my thoughts turned to my office.
So interested bad I been in this wonderful
case that I had neglected my
regular business shamefully.
There were still a few hours left, and
by working like a Trojan I might manage
to get through.
I arose to take my leave. Before bidding
Mr. Ketcham good day I laid one
hand gently upon his shoulder and said
with vehemence: MI am going to run this
murderer to earth if I perish for it"
He seemed pleased at the earnest determination
which my words and manner
betokened, and bade me God speed in my
self-imposed task.
60 I bade Mr. Ketcham good day and
turned to mv office.
There were a few calls which needed
my attention, besides those on my regular
list.
I called for :my buggy and started forth
to my work, apologizing to those who
had grown weary waiting for me, that I
had been engaged on a case of life and
death.
With this they had to be satisfied.
By the time twilight had settled down
I over the great city I had gotten through
with my work and was ready to take up
the trail of crime once more.
I had never believed that I would
make anything of a good detective, nor
had I believed that I would ever have
a fancy for the work, but the fascina
tion of the work was something astonishing.
Now that I had become all worked up
in the case, I would not have given it
over for a good deal.
When I had finished eating my supper
I prepared for the work on hand.
It was a singular piece of business for
a physician in good standing to enter
upon. I might have to pass through all
manner of ugly places, and enter the
haunts of crime before I could accomplish
my object
My mind was made up, however, and
it must be more than this that could
keep me from carrying it out
Thoughts of Lconore urged me on.
If there was a chance of saving her, I
would take heavy risks to accomplish
it
So, shortly after darkness fell upon
the city of New York, I left my office
and began to makt> my way down to the
artery of the city- the Bowery.
Ito be continued.]
WORDS OF WISDOM.
Million* won't cure sore toes.
We are going on from grace to grace
to perfection.
The world is much misled by some of
its best maxims.
To be avoided?professing cream and
living sour milk.
Wall street has not enough space to
bury its suicides.
We have the record of many a good
rich man on eaith.
Every man laughs when he wins and?
swears when he loses. f
How long will this metallic sentiment
crush out all manly feeling?
As long as a good man is good he will
be continually growing better.
Some people are afraid to become good
for fear their joys will all be lost.
I Beware of the man who pats his pocI
ket above country and his party above
conscience.
Make it a constant habit to be kind
to everybody, and you will do more good
than if you went about scattering
money.
No man ever meets with shipwreck
because he finds out that he is weak, but
thousands are lost because they feel that
they are strong.
How many a man has lied to save appearances,
especially to his wife, when
he might have told the truth and gone
about his business.
Worldly men are like sour apples.
Outwardly they present a fair appearance,
but the nearer the core you get the
more acrid the flavor.
Loug Hides in Australia.
In Australia, where population is
sparce and distances are great, some re*
markable feats of endurance in horseriding
are credited to the mounted
police?feats more remarkable in some
instances, taking into account all the
circumstances, than those accomplished
by the winnners in the military ride between
Vienna and Berlin. * Trooper
Power in February, 1880, undertook an
arduous journey across most inhospitable
country in pursuit of a horse-stealer
named John Smith. This zealous officer
traveled 766 miles in twenty-six day9
withDUt changing horses. For one stage
of eighty mile3 he was wholly without
water, and the country was in such a bad
state tor 130 miles that his two horses
had nothing to eat. His powers of en
durance may be judged from the statement
that he did thirty miles a day on
worn-out horses, along long dry stages
and with bad water or no water at all to
crink.
Trooper Wiltshire on another occasion
rode eighty-five miles in twenty
hours on one horse. This was ou May
28, 1887, two days after the natives had
"stuck up" Eriduna Station. This same
man triveled 200 miles in four days
when he heard that a comrade named
Shirley had died of thirst. He did not
have macadamized roads and plenty of
fresh water, like the German officers,
but he had a broiling sun to endure,
sand hills to climb, "mulga" scrub to
penetrate, and was sometimes compelled
to take dead animals out of native wells
before he could use the water.?London
News.
THE FIRE HORSE.
HOW THE BIO BONED BRUTE I
TRAINED FOR HIS DUTIE8.
A Long and Careful Education?It 1
Too Much lor Some Animals,
While Others Learn With
Eagerness?At the Stables.
QTANDING in froi
* of one of the uj
town hotels a fe
A, nights ago t h
^ clang of the fire ei
01 r08e
the rattle of ti
rTjuNSi ears, and leaving
w&JlrSmAMffl?} track of fivin
sparks a big thre<
horee engine can
racing down Broadway.
It was a thrilling sight as the greai
bony animalB, that look so massive whe
quiet, galloped with the ease and grac
of cats. They seemed to be crazed wit
the noise and clatter,' and though tb
driver, with muscular arms bared to tb
TflS BSCS
elbow, seemed trying to restrain them,
could see as they dashed by that he wa
really leaving tbe big brutes to their owi
volition. The shrill steam whistle am
the clatter of the horses' great feet coul<
be heard a quarter of a mile away.
It was a perfect picture of runaway
but when the fire plug was reached ther
was a shout heard above the noise, an<
the intelligent animals braced their for
feet and slid along some distance in thei
quick effort to stop short at the word o
command. They were perfectly trainei
and absolutely under the control of th
i EXAMINING A NEW ARRIVAL.
driver. But what t? transformationone
minute springing out with all th
power in their great bodies, and thi
next quietly submitting to the affection
ate petting of the driver.
The public' unite in praising thi
efficiency of the Fire Department of Nev
York, but rarely think of the part dumb
brutes play in fire fighting. The horse*
added to the department every year go
through as severe a training as the firemen
to learn how to handle the hose anc
scaling ladder. Chief Hugh Bonnei
pays especial attention to this work, ant
has detailed the best man in the depart
ment to the training stables on Wes
Ninety-ninth street.
The building, horses and training ar
all under the care of a foreman, who i
also a veterinary surgeon and a man o
wonderful parrience. The commission
era allow $300 for the purchase of eacl
horse, and they are bougnt irom du
bunches of Western animals down i
Bull's Head market.
About fifty new horses are bough
every every year to keep up the 80(
constantly needed in active service. Thi
most desirable horse is one that is block]
in proportion to his size, with gooc
strong feet and flat legs with sinews wel
apart. Most of the horses now in thi
department are Clydesdale grades, anc
the Clydesdale horse is a native of Scot
land, the caony Scot showing here as ii
everything else that be knows a gooc
thing. The Clydesdale has peculiarly
good feet, this being a prime requisite ii
an engine horse.
The Dew houses are generally sent uj
to the training stables five or six at t
time, and are put iuto good, big room]
box stalls, whose doors and sides indi
cate that more than one foot has beei
THE FIRST TJ
stopped by the strong partitions. 4 'Kick
Well, yes," replied one of the stablemei
to my question. "Some of them don'
seem to do anything but kick."
A green horse goes absolutely craz,
when he first hears the fire gong. He i
generally only partly broken to harness
and everything in the city, coming fresl
from the farm as he does, is new am
terrifyincr. Every alarm from the But
tery to Harlem is sounded on the bi:
grag attached to the walls, and many o
the horses never get accustomed to th
sound of it. These, of course, arc in
stantly rejected. Others kick, rear am
prance, but by and by settle dowi
enough for their first lesson.
A oart of the floor is partitioned oi
for a hose carriage, with the harncs
ready for buckling on, suspended as i
ie in every engine house. As soon a
the horses show no fear of the gong, the
are led out, two at a time under th
harness. Others, after being allowed to
smell of the leather, and seeing that
there is nothing to harm them, stand
g very calmly. It does not take long for
the horse to learn that the sound of the
gong means his moving, and some of
quick intelligence in a few days learn to
jump from their stalls without telling.
For the first few days leading the
two green horses to the tender is all
that is attempted. There is no shouting
or hauling the horses about. They hare
jt time to find out things are not going to
hurt them and then they are encouraged
w to put their heads under the collars of
e their own accord.
>. This is practiced over an over again
e until the start at the sound of the gong
te becomes second nature. Then comes
a the most difficult work. The harness is
g buckled on and the horses are started
j- out of the stable on a wain. They
ie must, of course, get accustomed to the
rattle of the engine behind them, but it
t, is quite slow work until they grow to
n know the tender; then they are trotted
:e out, and finally let out at lull speed,
h When a horse has reached this point
te in his education he is ready to go
e out to one of the fire stations. There
IYH7G 8TASL1S.
IJ the firemen take the greatest pride in
s helping a new horse to learn his duties,
a Here the horses are taught the value of
3 time, or one would think so, the way
i they get around in their stalls. Electric
buttons release their halters, and by the
, time the firemen unbuckle the harness
e from the overhead checks the horses are
a there to receive it. Not a second is lost
e and the horses show as great an eagerr
ness as human beings in getting to the ,
f fire.?New York Recorder.
i ?
e The America's Cup.
With a new challenge for the America's
Gup the interest in international
yachting regains life all over the world.
It is to international yachting that
Yachting in its higher form must look
for the perpetuation of a healthy and
vigorous life always. There are several
trophies now offered for competition by
yachting lovers of different Nations.
First and foremost of these is alwayB and
ever the America's Cup, the If'blue ribbon
of the seas." This is an ugly piece
of silverware offered by the Royal Yacht
Squadron in August, 1851, in order to
make a race for the American schooner
yacht America,which was debarred from
- sailing for the Queen's Cup by the rules
e . I..
AMERICA'S CUP.
9 ,
1 of the club. It was won by the Ameri
ca and offered as a perpetual challenge
i cup for friendlv competition by the
1 yachts of the world. No Nations exJ
cept England and Canada have chali
leDged for it. England challenged in
1870, 1871, 1885, 1886 ana 1887.
) Canada challenged in 1876 and 1881.
i The foreign yachts which have striven
7 for the cup are Cambria, Livonia, Coun
tess of Dufferln. Atlanta, Genesta, Gai
latea and Thistle. The American yachtg
ME IN HARNESS.
? which have successfully defended the
a cup are the Magic, Columbia, Sappho,
t Madeline, Mischief, Puritan, Mayflower
| atia voiunieej. me ^/Uiummn auu
9 Sappho both sailed against the Livonia.
s ?
Shooting Come3 by Nature.
J Miss Johanna Remington shot a hawk
3 which measured nearly live feet from
* tip to tip a few days ago at Stonington.
s The bird of prey had seized agood sized
f pullet, and was starting off with the .
e fowl when brought down at a distance
* of forty yards. Miss Remington had
1 fired a gun but once before, and then
Q she killed a lot of blackbirds in a flock
she fired into.?Providence (R. I.) Jour5
nal.
s mm
t San Francisco is led to believe that
is Mrs. Hearst, widow of the millionaire
y Senator from California, will leave it
e $1,000,000 for a great museum.
' V . i'Vn&j& r-.
_????? '' .4
Curious South Sea Amor.
The Academy of Science, says the Self
Francisco Chronicle, has added to the
treasures of the museum a complete suit!
of ancient armor from the Gilbert Isl*
ands. Also, some odd pieces of warlike
paraphernalia used or worn by the dnsk^j
warriors. All of these articles are be-;
lieved to be at least a hundred.years
old.
The coat of mail and helmet, all Iti?
one piece, looks, when off the wearer^
like a big wicker chair. When on, the}
back of the chair apparently rues above! J
the wearer's head, which passes upj
through the seat of the chair. The low]
:arms, which are really straps, pass over
his shoulders. The solid portion of tbej
lower pait is the corselet, fastening ,
around the body.
This carious garment is made of oo?r
coanut fibre, twisted around and around!
over thick cords, making a dense fabric' ^
stiff and stout as board. In color it resembles
unbleached linen. The material
is woven by hand, after which it is embroidered
in regular pattern suggesting
grotesque human figures. This carious
needlework is executed with curds made!
of twisted human hair. . j ^
With the singular costume just de-x
scribed are won a yoke and pair o?
sleeves, also in one piece. Also, a pais , |
of leggings with a snort skirt at the top*
The skirt, leggings, sleeves and yoke
are made of brown cocoanut fibre, braid-j
ed and knotted, until it looks very much)
like the common cocoa matting. The
thickness of these garments is something)
surprising. It would seem that arrows
or spears could not penetrete this fabricJ
The coat of mail keeps all the portions;
of the costume in place. The chair-like
projection above the head is intended to
ward off arrows. I
The work of making {his coatumtf
must hate been incredibly tedious, jndg^ , /ingby
the fineness and regularity of twistJ
stitch, strand and mesh. No doubt thic
outfit of a heathen warrior repcesents tboj
labor of years and the slavery of women*
Possibly, carnage in addition, as thcj
hair used may have been taken front
slain captives. _
With the suit of armor are two spears^
one eleven feet in length, the other four-j f 3
teen. They are long, pointed sticks ot
cocoanut wood/ armed with shark's)
GILBERT MLASD ARM03.
teeth. The teeth are polished until tfiej;
are smooth and white as ivory. Each ;
itooth is knotted to the wood by a cord'
made of human hair, passing through a'
!hole drilled in the tooth and another
jdrilled in the wood. The shorter spear J
!has ninety-eight teeth, the longer 100. <
About the middle of each stick acuri-)
ous piece of skin is fastened to the
"wood. The skin is a? thick as the;
Stoutest leather and covered with sharp,]
white tooth-like projections. No one
connected with the academy knows what'
the skin is, as nothing like it has ever
been seen here before. The exhibit is
accompanied by a broad, curving band
of tfie* same skin, but whether it is in-J
tended as an armor plate or not nobody)
seems to know.
A Beiuarkable Fair of Horns.
Albert Friedrich, of San Antonio,\
Texas, is the proud owner of what is;
considered to be the most remarkable:
'pair of antlers. They have seventy-eight
points. ? ,
The curator of the Smithsonian Institution
says that in the number of points*
it far exceeds any other specimen of
which he has knowledge.?St. Louis
Republic.
t
"Boy Wauted Iuolde."
^ ?Truth. .