The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

ty- fi>- iffisfgs • K*' t9*v'* >£3?3 7:;"V:':|;:;:;'>'^ -i".1 <• ---' A ...<i_JiLi._J.^^ ^^^j^TJLIIII - - --' W" J'; At Swords' Points; '" ** i i cT*" '&*•*••( • . •'• • *' :*. :-' ' 3K*> .• *.W • I OR>. OF THE RHINE. By ST. GEOR.GE RATHBORNE Copyright, by STBMT & SMITH. New York. CHAPTER XVI (Contlnned.) These resulted in a discovery, for he ielt positive that lie could see signs •of a trap door above, no unusual thing in these old Berlin houses which have stood the grime and storm of centur ies. To reach it he utilized a table that stood in a corner, upon the "top of which he placed a chair. Eureka! The extempore ladder ac complished all that was expected of it, and when he found a small section of the ceiling actually yield to his gentle, persuasive pressure, Paul be £»n to believe that he had the game in his hands. Being a thorough athlete he experi -enced no trouble in drawing himself up and passing through the opening. Had he bettered his condition? He seemed to be in an apartment of some sort. While moving forward to find a wall he halted several times to listen, and thus became fully convinced that there was something or some one in the room with him. This was not pleas ant, since it laid him open to attack at any moment. As though the situation was not in teresting enough for Paul, his hands by accident, while groping around came in contact with some object that had rested upon a small table; and such was the unexpected force em ployed that the vase toppled over upon the floor with a crash. It was loud enough to almost arouse the dead. Paul heard the unknown spring erect in surprise and start toward the spot where the table had betrayed the intruder. Bent upon defending himself, he prepared to receive the party who » rashly advanced, but there was no need of warfare. Suddenly a descending shriek at­ tested that the unknown had struck the chute--the open trap had received him most affectionately, and ventured to kiss his face, no doubt, several times as he was passing through. At least, so far as our friend was concerned, he wasted no pity upon the late inmate of the room who had gone into such sudden exile. A door would be a very welcome ad dition to his requirements Just then And he found it, since this roof above was of the plain every-day call bre, and not fashioned to deceive stray pilgrims. Once out of the door, Paul found himself in a hall--at least he Judged it to be such, for there was no light to betray the fact. He could hear voices and the rust­ ling of moving persons around; then lights flashed up in the same wonder ful manner which had marked their disappearance when Paul sought to detain the countess. It began to look as though he would yet be brought face to face with the forces of the enemy, and compelled to fight his way out of this spies' nest. How lucky he was armed! What a glow of satisfaction to draw that little toy from his hip pocket, and feel that so long as it remained faithful, he would control the situation. But this was not making progress To remain where he was increased his difficulties, whereas by a bold rush he might be so lucky as to reach an outer door, which, u^on being forced would bring him to the street. He found the stairs. Nothing seemed to hinder his prog­ ress in that direction, although there was considerable racket in other parts of the house consequent upon finding the unfortunate victim of the open trap in the room where the American had been confined. Paul reached th^ outer door and was drawing the bolts, when a cry at tracted his attention. Looking up he saw the countess, with startled eyes, surveying him. He bowed with the grace of Chesterfield. "Ah! countess, you see it Is hard to hold one who has been cowboy and Texas ranger." he said. "You are free--you--you will be­ tray me, and I shall be shut up in a gloomy fortress even if my life id spared. Mon Dieu! how cruel, and I love you so, monsieur," she cried, wringing her white hands in distrac­ tion. "Countess, there are some hours be­ fore morning, and you will have until then to escape. I am not without pity Endeavor to f<.i?et your luckless at­ tachment, since only misery can come of it. Countess, I have the door open; allow me to say bon soir." She had one last glimpse of his manly Pgure, and then the closing door hid it from view. When next they met, these two, the one who would not and the one who wooed, it must be under skies that were glowing with the blaze of battle and upon the greensward drenched with the blood of gallant men, CHAPTER XVIL Beyond the Rhine. Months after. With the Iron Chancellor at the plow the ghastly furrow of war, with all its attendant horrors, had pene­ trated far beyond the historic Rhine. All Prance was quivering under the fearful shock. Sedan and Gravelotte had been fought and lost--Worth was but a dismal nightmare, the emperor a pris­ oner of war with MacMahon's fine army, and both Mets and the capital besieged. Everywhere the German arms had been victorious. Paul Rhinelander had alredy seen much of war's horrors, and aU that was martial in his nature had been stirred by the scenes of excitement that had come his way. There had been news of Hoffman. The man was a traitor to his coun­ try--madness had seized upon him, and making use of the fact that his maternal grandparents were Alsations, hence French subjects, he had gone over to the enemy, bag and baggage. Paul heard this with grim satisfac­ tion. Paul, who knew to a certainty that this change of heart had been wrought through the witchery of that beautiful and magnetic creaturi, the countess, and that Conrad was her latest victim. All unknown to Rhinelander, events were under full headway and driving swiftly toward a most dramatic cli­ max, at which altar his fate must be decided. It was an October evening. The mutter and growl of heavy siege guns, that for hours had been sending their projectiles into the forts defending the citadel of Metz, had by degrees died away, and night was spreading her mantle of rest over the tragic scene. MacMahon's great army was hemmed in more securely than ever. This October nighty was destined to be forever marked by1 a white stone in the annals of Paul's romantic life history--ere the morning star shone upon Metz he would have passed through another experience that must have a decided influence upon his whole future. He was sauntering about after com­ ing from the field hospital, when he met by chance an aide of the general in command at this post. From him he heard news that elec trifled him; news that indicated so daring a night assault on the fortress that Paul hardly believed it to be true. Immediately he sought an au dience with the commander to beg for indulgence and the coveted opportun ity of seeing whatever of action there might prove to be in the assault. Rhinelander had seen much of ser vice, but his desire to have some sort of share in everything that came to pass led him to join the forces se­ lected for this hazardous task. He was in the van, of course--men of his stamp usually find some means of reaching the front fank when the bat­ tle is in progress. When the French opened fire it seemed as though the whole outer works blazed with the fury of a Ve­ suvius. Chassepot and mitrailleuse mingled their bark until it became a thunder ous roar--men shouted and cheered while above it all could be heard the hollow rattle of the flat Bavarian drums. To Paul the music was a hideous nightmare, but he could appreciate the fact that It served to animate and enthuse these Bavarians just as the pibroch thrills the Highlander--mus­ cles grew as stiff as iron, teeth snapped close together, eyes were set in that steady stare that tells of in domitable will power--and into the jaws of death they went. They were now at the foot of the apparently impregnable^tortress. The fire above was just as furious, but most of the missiles overshot the mark, and had they chosen to wait, a chance for a breathing spell now of­ fered itself. However, they went up over the walls like the wild chamois of the Swiss Alps, those little Bavarians did. In the eyes of the amazed French­ men they must have appeared little short of devils hatched out of the in­ fernal fires that blazed all around. Once in the fortifications they came into hand-to-hand conflict with the French, and then the fiercest kind of warfare was inaugurated. The Bavarians might have had held the fort had they been quickly rein­ forced, but it was not the policy of the German generals to bring on a bat­ tle, since starvation must decide the question speedily enough. Their object had been attained in teaching the French that after all their position was not so impregnable as they might have believed. And hence the signal of recall sounded. Surrounded by struggling forms en­ gaged in a desperate death grapple, with fires and the blaze of still boom­ ing cannon lighting up the scene as with the glow of infernal conflagra­ tions; the spectacle of Paul engaged with a French swordsman was one fit for the delectation of the gods, and Mars himself must have been fully satisfied with such an heroic picture. Then came the recall. Paul re­ mained, not through choice, but be­ cause he had become involved in a singular engagement, and could not break away. Two men, sadly lacking in that chivalrous spirit for which Frenchmen have become famous the world around, had chosen to attack him at the same time, and if their eagerness was any gauge to their capacity for doing harm, Rhinelander must be In a bad way indeed. Luckily for him they were mere tyros with the trenchant blades they wielded so clumsily, and he believed himself easily capable of mastering them without trouble. At the same time the chances of hiB being able to escape, once this were done, grew very dubious, since the French were gathering about the scene of the singular duel, always eager to watch any feat of arms out of the ordinary run. They saw a spectacle that was not likely to come their way every day, for Paul kept his adversaries guess­ ing, and parrying all manner of imag­ inary attacks until at length he saw his chance to retire one of them with thrust through the shoulder. After that his work was easy enough. He set upon the second officer, rat­ tled his sword with quick tierce and thrust, and used him up so generally that he finally lost his nerve, when a quick upward blow sent his blade rat­ tling away, and left him unarmed at the mercy of his foe. Just then, however, Paul was not In a humor to decide whether to call the affair off or pink his zealous antago­ nist as an earnest of victory. Truth to tell he had about all lie wanted to take care of in looking out for himself. There was about one chance in ten that he might escape as his comrades had done, by beating a hasty retreat over the edge of the ramparts. Paul was not the man to hesitate and lose valuable time in calculating chances. Accordingly he whirled on his heel, made a mock bow to those who had just witnessed his remark­ able right, which compliment surely Frenchmen should appreciate, and then made a headlong break for the edge of the ramparts, intending to throw himself down regardless of mi­ nor damage, since it was his one chance to get clear. fJ So vast had been the number of troops pressing forward to have a share in the engagement that his way was blocked. Finding his escape cut off in the direction of the wall, he changed his mind and decided that only a mad­ man or one utterly desperate would continue to advance in that quarter, and his situation did not call for such a needless sacrifice since as a prisoner he would be liberated when the French surrendered. Again he turned and made a dash in an opposite quarter, hardly knowing what lay ahead of him, yet desirous of evading capture. Then his passage was blocked--guns threatened him, the shining bayonets being within a foot of his throat. It was all up, at least so far as es­ cape was concerned, and Paul was forced to admit this with a grunt of disgust. So he dropped the point of his sword to the ground as a sign of yielding, and made no resistance when they disarmed him. A minute later he regretted his help­ lessness more than words could tell, for the French officer came and sur­ veyed him with grim contemptuous mien, and Paul recognized his old foe- man, Conrad Hoffman. (To be continued.) * ' * * * * ILLINOIS ITEMS & * * ¥ THE POPE'S WILL Document Drawn Up Whan Hit Holiness Wmi IT Years Old. It is not generally known that the Pope made a will as long ago as 1837. A copy of the document is before me. It reads: "I leave my soul in the hands of God and of the blessed Mary. I institute as the heirs of my property my deaf brothers, Charles and John Baptist, in equal shares, enjoining upon them to have fifty masses said for the benefit of my soul each year for a period of five years, after which time they w-ill be relieved of this duty, although I recommend myself to their love and charity to help my soul still further. I also impose upon them the duty of distributing twenty scudi each year to the most needy poor of Carpinoto, my' native town. I bequeath to my Uncle Anthony, as a token of my re­ spect and affection, the porcelain ser­ vice, which His Eminence,, Cardinal Sala, presented to me." This was made when the Pope was only 27 years old and at a time when his health was so poor that he did not expect to survive many months. Yet he has outlived every man of his time, every associate of his youth, every Cardinal that belonged to the Sacred College when he was elevated to it. J. R. Nelson, formerly a prominent business man of Bloomington, died at, Joplin, Mo., aged 60. The remains of Thomas Sturgeon, a soldier, who had served in the Phil­ ippines, were buried at Ramsey. The sawmill of A. J. Wolfe at El Dorado was destroyed by fire. Loss, 14,000; no Insurance. About 100 men are thrown out of employment. Rev. M. House died in Greenville. He was a superannuated minister of the the M. E. church and was 70 years of age. The bodies of three Italians--Fran- cisca Cassia, Barney Pomatto and Frank Fengoli--drowned In the Illi­ nois river at Spring Valley a month ago, were found about fifteen miles be­ low there. The coroner found nearly 9100 in their clothing. The Mount Vernon district Metho­ dist Episcopal conference, which has been in session at Mounty City, was a most successful one, and was atten­ ded by forty ministers and as many more lay members. The following young ministers were authorized to preach: H. J. Johnson, C. R. Phillips, Lemuel Miflin, A .B. Shepard, Charles Sullivan, S. J. Sarber and L. E. Davis. The supreme court of Illinois has rendered a decision in the case of Ju­ lia D. Ramsey et al. vs. estate of Ru- fus N. Ramsey, and it is favorable to the Carlyle creditors of the estate. Mrs. Ramsey and G. Van Hoorebeke, creditors, filed claims amounting to nearly $3,000 against property held by the late Treasurer Ramsay in St. Louis. They received a dividend of over 12 per cent. When the adminis­ trator paid out the dividend of 50 cents on the dollar to the creditors at Carlyle he kept out the money which Mrs. Ramsay and Van Hoorebeke ob­ tained In St. Louis. They objected, and the administrator was sustained in the circuit court. It was taken to the supreme court, and there the de­ cision of the lower court was affirmed. At Harrlsburg the Jury in the case of William A. Luster, charged with murder, returned a verdict finding him guilty as charged and fixed his sen­ tence at twenty-four years in the pen­ itentiary. Mrs. Charles Styles of Carlyle has been elected secretary of the Woman's Foreign Missionary society of the Presbyterian church for southern Illi­ nois. The fiftieth anniversary of the Har­ din Presbyterian church will be cele­ brated at Hardin on May 29. Promi­ nent church workers will be in at­ tendance. The physicians of Virginia have or­ ganized a medical association, with Dr. A. R. Lysles, the present mayor, as president, and Dr. J. A. McGee, secre­ tary. The object is mutual protection, and they hope to perfect a county or­ ganization. The Porter farm, located a few miles south of Virginia, was sold to Herman Kramer of Mason county. The price paid was $75.25 per acre. The case of Anne Gonker, a nurse girl, against E. B. Mailers was set­ tled in the circuit court at Decatur. Mailers had been sued for $5,000 dam­ ages for an alleged assault, but the case was dismissed on payment of $200. B. F. Holcombe obtained a verdict for $1,200 against the town of Macon. The Odd Fellows of Centralla will celebrate the anniversary of that or­ der on Friday evening, when Hon. John J. Brown of Centralla will de­ liver an address. The Centralla library board has ac­ cepted the bid of Liver & Rapenthal of Chicago for the construction of the Carnegie library building, subject to the approval of Mr. Carnegie. The sum named in the bid is $19,787. Mr. Carnegie donated $20,000. Henry E. Storer, township tax col­ lector of Centralia, has „returned his books to the county clerk. The total amount collected was $48,672.62. This is the heaviest collection ever made in this township. The amount delin­ quent will be less that $4,000. Two hundred loaves of bread were on exhibition, entered in a contest by as many women, at the office of the Qulncy Gas and Electric Light com­ pany. Twenty-one prizes were award­ ed and the seven most valuable were won, respectively, by Mrs. C. S. Tuf- fli, Mrs. Otto Koenig, Minnie Goesllng, Ella Miller, Mrs. J. A. Walker, Mrs. James McGrury and Mrs. George Ein- haus. The Quincy medical societies T.re making ample preparations for enter­ taining the Illinois Med lean society, which meets in that city on May 19-21. The young colored men of Quincy have organized a military company and will join the state militia. The officers of the company so far elected are: Prof. R. A. Byrd, captain; Chas. O. Robinson and Chas. S. S. Morris- son, first and second lieutenants. The Federal Lead company has In­ formed the representatives of the building trades unions in Alton that no organized labor will be recognized in the work of erecting the new smelt­ er. A desperate encounter took place at the home of Christian Fix near New Baden. The participants were Arthur Winkler and John Ullrich, both about 20 years of age. It is al leged that Winkler drew a knife and slashed Ullrich several times. Once the blade penetrated the latter's left lung, making a wound which may cause his death. Young Winkler was arrested and given a preliminary hear ing. He was held under *600 bond to await the action of the Clinton county grand jury, which convenes in May. Both boys are members of influential families of that locality. The state board of arbitration will meet in Pekin to investigate the strike of the stationary firemen in that city The petition comes only from the The Illinois supreme court has a$»^mPlo/es- The Principal employers . TS rn tna /Mat 111A**?oa an/1 tViA D«im> •* I*A_ Chinese Dental Methods. Some interesting specimens of Chinese dentistry have recently been shipped to Philadelphia by Dr. P. T. Carrington of Bankok, Siam, who pre­ sented them to the University of Penn­ sylvania. The consignment, which is now on exhibition in the Dental museum, includes two pairs of crudely lhade forceps, used by the Chinese in extracting teeth, and many other specimens of the dental profession, among which are some artificial teeth carved from ivory. Some of the speci­ mens presented by Dr. Carrington which have attracted particular atten­ tion among Penn's dental students are several teeth affected by betel-nut chewing, which works Such great havoc with the teeth of orientals. A model illustrating the practice among the Siamese of mutilating their teeth by filing, is also among the col­ lection. Hunting with Trained Wolves. Bert Decker, a young sportsman of Tuscola, 111., has succeeded In taming two wolves, and they are very valua­ ble as hunters. He captured them when young, raised tbem as "kitten^," and now, though as large as shepherd dogs, they are quite tame and playful. Decker says the wolves can outrun dogs on the hunt, and are very longwlnded. Their favorite way of catching a rabbit is to run alongside of him, put their nose underneath Mr Cottontail, and throw him ten or twelve feet in the air, catching him in their mouth as he falls. The wolves always return to their master when called. Decker's success has caused other sportsmen to undertake the training of wolves to supplant dogs in hunting, and it is probable that wolves will find a place in future kennels.-- Cincinnati Enquirer. Counterfeiter*. There is nothing which Uncle Sam protects with greater care than his currency. Because Uncle Sam's money is good there are always people ready to counterfeit it, and for these people Uncle Sam has a special body of se­ cret service detectives always on the watch. The most dangerous counter­ feits are those which most closely imi­ tate the original, and to arrest the makers of dangerous counterfeits the United States spares no efforts and no expense. It seems a pity that the United States government could not extend its surveillance of counter­ feiters to those who counterfeit whole­ some foods, reliable medicines and other articles necessary to the hetfth of the public. There Is a whole lot of difference be­ tween a gown looking pretty on | woman and a woman looking pretty la a gown. M firmed the decision of the Christian county circuit court in the case of Mrs Horace Stafford against the city of Taylorvllle. Mrs. Stafford was award­ ed $1,000 for permanent injuries which she received by" a fall. She alleged that a defective sidewalk caused the fall. It was decided at a meeting of the ministerial Institute of the Christian church, held in Decatur, to hold next year's institute in Taylorvllle, Archibald Thayer, who was former­ ly in the drug business in Taylorvllle, committed suicide, by taking mor phine. Thayer was a brother-in-law of Judge J. B. Ricks of the Illinois su­ preme bench. The supreme court has affirmed the decision of the circuit court at Tay lorville in the case of John Murphy againBt James O'Hara. Murphy sued for twenty-five years' wages as a farm hand and was given a judgment of $2,300. He and O'Hara are brothers- in-law. The case of Harry Hubbard, for the murder of William Espy two years ago at Benton, has been reversed and a new trial will be had. Hubbard is now serving out a fourteen years' sentence in the penitentiary at Chester. The new First National bank opened for business at Benton. J. T. Chenault is president, W. W. McFall vice-presi­ dent and G. C. Cantrell cashier. The body of Nellie Virginia Reld, daughter of Presiding Elder and Mrs. J. Y. Reid, was taken to Benton for interment. She died very suddenly at Carmi. William Hargus has arrived at Greenfield from the Philippines, where he has been for three years in the 18th United States infantry and 6th infan­ try. The 21st district federation of woman's clubs will convene In Pana June 5 and 6. Carllnvllle, Litchfield, Taylorvllle and Springfield are the other cities In the district- President England of the Jackson county farmers' institute announces that a corn contest will be inaugurat­ ed by tne institute, in which suitable premiums will be offered for corn grown in the county. The object is to secure a better quality of corn. Thomas Stewart, a college student from Texas, a short time ago left his residence in Quincy, which had been quarantined on account of a contagious disease. Upon his return he was ar­ raigned in the police court and fined $25 and costs for violatiiy? quarantine regulations. The Marlon county farmer^* insti­ tute has planned for a seed corn ex­ hibit, which will be a feature of the institute to be held at Salem in the fall. Any boy or girl in Marion county under 18 years of age may enter the contest and a suitable prize will be given the person exhibiting the best ten ears of corn. Each competitor will be furnished seed corn. The ob­ ject is to improve the quality of corn grown in the county. Thomas K. Hill, aged 30 years, a na­ tive of Quincy, died from appendicitis In the City of Mexico. care the distilleries and the sugar re­ finery. The inspection of the glass works in Alton by the state factory inspect­ ors has resulted in the finding of about twenty-five violations of the child labor law, and it is said that, while the Illinois Glass company is protected by affidavits of the parents of the children that they were four­ teen years of age, the parents may be prosecuted for making affidavits falsely. All the manufacturing in­ stitutions are being inspected. A jury in the county court adjudged George Paynter of Dlvernon to be in sane. His condition is due to exces­ sive indulgence in liquor and it is feared that he cannot live long. He will be cared for at the county poor farm. Samuel B. Cloyd. a merchant at Chatham, filed a voluntary petition in bankruptcy in the United States dis­ trict court, with liabilities scheduled at $7,149 and assets at $7,524. The Caldwell bank at Chatham and vari­ ous wholesale houses in Springfield are the creditors, thtlr accounts rang­ ing from a few dollars to $300. The Alton board of education opened the bids for the construction of the new high school building. The lowest bids wery presented by Chicago firms. It is proposed to complete the build ing and furnish it for $50,000. The lowest bid for erecting the building alone was $39,998. The plans will be slightly altered with the purpose of reducing the cost slightly. J. J. Gallagher, who for several years has been head pattern maker in the Big Four shops in Mattoon, has ac­ cepted a similar position with the Mobile and Ohio. Since Mr. McKee became superintendent of motive power of the Mobile and Ohio he has called several capable men who were under him when he was master me­ chanic of the St. Louis division of the Big Four. Capt. Benjamin H. Penn, a Macou­ pin county pioneer. Is dead at Spring­ field. ' v The information is given out by the management of the St. Louis, O'Fal- lon and Lebanon Electric railroad company that it is their intention to begin in July or August next the work of grading for the proposed electric road connectig Lebanon, O'Fallon, Edgemont and East St. Louis. Hon. James R. Miller, grand sec­ retary of the Illinois Odd Fellows, died suddenly at hlshome at Spring­ field of gastritis, aged 57 years. The managers of Blessing hospital at Quincy are making an effort to build a new home for the nurses. Messrs. W. S. Warfleld and E. J. Par­ ker have encouraged the movement by subscribing $1,000 each for the object in view. It will require the sum of $10,000 to insure the success of the undertaking. Acting Adjt Gen. Smith granted permission to a company of the Iowa state militia to enter this state fully armed on the occasion of the state Q. A. R. encampment at ROck Island next month. The entire Windsor Democratic ticket was elected by greatly reduced majorities, the highest majority for an aldermanlc candidate being only 13. License was overwhelmingly de­ feated. At Renault Anton Malova was forci­ bly taken to the woods near town and severely horsewhipped by whitecap- pei's for alleged neglect and abuse of his wife and children. No arrests have been made. J. B. Flemming of Taylorville has sold seventy acres of land to Charles P. Wonderly of St. Louis for a con­ sideration of $5,600. Rabbi Leon Harrison of Temple Is­ rael, St. Louis, has been secured to deliver the address to the graduating class of the Mount Vernon high school. The graduating exercises will be held in May. Dennis Cronin of Carlyle has re­ ceived the appointment as inspector for the western division of the Bal­ timore & Ohio Southwestern rail­ road. According to the records in the of­ fice of County Clerk Ackermann, there were 141 births and 79 deaths in Clin­ ton county during the three months ending April, 1. State Superintendent of Public In­ struction Bayliss nas sent out to coun­ ty superintendents of school through­ out the state a circular urging the observance of Arbor day, which Is set for April 26. Fred Hammond, employe of the Sattley plow works, is confined in the Springfield hospital suffering from a pistol wound in his foot, which, he says, was self-inflicted, accidentally. The bullet entered through the sole of his shde and lodged in the ankle, which circumstance r, makes his story somewhat improbable, and an investi­ gation is under way. Six helpers in the biacksmlthlng de­ partment of the Wabash shops at Springfield have struck, claiming that a promised Increase In wages was not granted by the officials. The shop employs about fifteen helpers, the majority of whom refused to join in a walkout. Mrs. Julia A. Smith, aged 92, died at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Moses Schroyer, in Springfield, of senility. She Vas born in Troy, N. Y., and removed to Springfield in 1860. Two farmers, residents of Glenarm, were arrested, charged with fast driv­ ing. They were armed and resisted arrest with a revolver and a black­ jack. Miss Janet Appleton, daughter of J. W. Appleton of Areola, is in Alton for the purpose of naving a long pin extracted from the base of one of her lungs near the diaphragm. The young lady was holding the pin in her'mouth and accidentally swallowed it, the pin going down her windpipe into her lungs and sinking to the diaphragm. The pin is nearly three inches in length and its presence in her lung has caused the young lady great pain, so that serious results are feared. It has been decided to open Miss Apple- ton's side and to attempt the extrac­ tion of the pin through the incision. The Sangamon county farmer's in­ stitute has planned for a corn-grow­ ing contest that will prove of great interest and value to young farmers. The exhibit is to be held at Wililams- ville the middle of October, where prizes will be awarded for the best ten acres of corn grown by a com­ petitor under 18 years of age. Over a thousand entries have been received and many more are expected. A surprising feature is the number of girls who have signified their inten­ tion of trying for the prizes, more than one hundred having entered and received their seed, which Is furnished by the Institute. In addition to the prizes offered by the institute, live stock breeders and agricultural papers have offered premiums. This contest is another phase of the attempt to improve the quality of seed corn by scientific seeding, which is receiving so much attention from farmers at this time. Ten caseB of Insanity among the i$t- erans of the state soldiers' home were heard before County Judge C. Epler at Quincy. Three of the cases were dis­ missed; two, Jacob Triesler and Daniel Walker, were placed under the charge of a conservator, and George N. James was appointed to that position. Na­ thaniel C. C. Smith, Harrison Crowser, Charles H. Jones, Horatio N. Mains and Henry W. Rankin were adjudged insane and sent to the asylum In Jack­ sonville. Mrs. Katherine Smalla of Columbia was found dead in her bed. She had no husband and no children, and was living alone. In holding the inquest. Dr. Bellis, the coroner, found buried in the bed over $2,000. Over $1,100 was in gold and $1,000 in paper money and silver. The Mount Vernon district Epworth league convention will be held in Plnckneyvllle on June 24, 25 and 26. Some of the most able speakers In Il­ linois will be present and make ad­ dresses. An important decision has been handed down In the Supreme Court, in which the law taxing foreign Insur­ ance companies doing business in Illi­ nois 2 per cent on gross premiums, is declared unconstitutional. Mrs. White, aged 76 years, was burned to death at her home at Dan­ ville. Her clothes caught fire. Mrs. Martha Jeffries, aged 87 years, one of the oldest residents of Charles­ ton is dead. Deceased was born near Lexington, Ky.. and came to Illinois when 19 years of age. She married Wm. Jeffries, who was one of the first sheriffs of the county. A mysterious explosion shattered the hand of George Camp of North Al­ ton Tuesday night. He had in his pocket what he believed to be a pen­ cil, and while taking it from his pock­ et struck it on a table. An explosion followed and Camp'* hand was badi* to; Persons, Places and Things WAITING FOR UNPUNCTUAL PlO'LE PWtedS In Whleh Profc Stlllmaa rm4 Time to Bend. Although he is himself the acme of punctuality, Senator Depew come to the conclusion that punctuality is a waste of time in Washington. A few nights ago he was asked to appear before the select committee of the house of investigation of the Da­ nish West Indies purchase. He was requested to be present at 10 a. m.„ but it was twenty minutes after that hour before the committee was ready for him. "I have always made it a rule to keep my appointments to the letter,** said he yesterday to one of tne mem­ bers of that committee, "but I am not. sure It pays here in Washington. When I was at Yale I used to see Prof. Stillman in his library, which comprised a great many books. He told me he had read every book there, and that he had done it while wait­ ing for people to keep their engage­ ments with him." J GYPSY ATTAINS REMARKABLE AGE English Wanderer, Recently PiWjfe' Believed to Have Been IOS. Recently a somewhat remarkable man passed away at Whitby Wood, 4 '•% Berkshire, England, one Frederick Draper, who claimed to be the oldest gypsy in the world. Although there is no entry in the parish register, it appears to be beyond question that, old Draper was born at Blx, near* Henley-on-Thames, in June, 1797, and was therefore in his 105th year. He lived with his son, Wellington Draper, who was born the year Waterloo was fought The power of "the evil eye" of the witch was fully believed in then. Draper used to tell of a witch at Farnham, who made the cows run wild and prevented them from giving milk; of another witch who lived at Henley-on-Thames, and who was thrown into the river and floated like a cork. The Drapers were typical van-dwellers, attending fairs all over England, selling baskets, clothes pesa and other articles of gypsy merchan­ dise. SINGULAR BOAT USED IN SAMOA Bttnordlnsry Vessel Which. Has New Passed On* of Existence. In the accompanying picture la shown an extraordinary boat, which. was frequently seen in the waters around Samoa some years ago, but of which not now a single perfect speci­ men can be found. In boats of this type the Samoans used to journey to distant islands. Some of the boats were small, each being designed to carry only a single family. Others were so large that on one of them all the inhabitants of a village could, easily find room. The exact manner in which these vessels were construct­ ed is not clearly known, but it is sup-- - posed that each of the large boats wa^ not, strictly speaking, a single vessel., but was cowpuaed of two Or small boats placed side by side and, fastened together a la catamaran. Roosevelt Hears a Criticism. President Roosevelt was once travel­ ing in Idaho, and passed a book store In the window of which was a copy of his "Winning of the West." Going into the book store he inquired, "Who is this author, Roosevelt?" "Oh," said the book seller, <(he*s *; ranch driver." "And what do you think of fete book?" asked the President. "Well, I've always thought I'd like to meet the author and tell him if he had stuck to running a ranch and give up writing books he'd have made a power­ ful more of a success at his trade."'--" Woman's Home Companion. Whew Moneys Few** Csasss. The Trinity Corporation of Net# York has won much applause and the good will of every New Yorker by re­ fusing an offer of $5,000,000 for its his­ toric old church on Broadway. A syn­ dicate organized to build a big sky- scraper wanted the property and waa willing to pay cash for it, but the Trinity Corporation declared that no offer would be large enough to indue* it to dispose of the church and site. Even in materialistic New York tbo news of the rejection of the offer hailed with general rejoicing. . Made Fortnn* kr ••Cffnaj* Francisco Gorgia, aged 60, a York beggar, has stored a fortune iB Rome, having $12,000 in a bank. Al­ though living in the greatest squalor, he has crossed the sea many times to place his hoardings in safety. This fact was brought out by his arrcat far vagrancy. PesddtM ef X l« Wea Zola women always indicate bar their headdress whether married or unmarried. i.