The Philadelphia Inquirer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page 26

THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER SUNDAY MOKOTNG, JULY 17, 1898 2G kepi, to the detriment of his uniform, the a volunteer, who has freely offered to fight wearing your dress kepi and your patent leather boots! The plan ton will conduct would never need be restricted so. Sons of poor or moderately well off parents, it would not occur to them to disport in places of expensive entertainment on their holidays. But the other third might feel thz, ffirnict Oio tctim Che SPctty Occc where he might have entertained his friends to his heart's content whenever he could get a leave of absence; but opeu jollity and display were dear to the rich young spendthrift, and he yearned for the officers' cafes and restaurants. He was at home in the two music halls, which the officers might not frequent because of their dignity, and he cared nothing for theatre. But he could not endure to go continually to the Railway Hotel restaurant for the delicate eating which company's soup pot could not furnish him.

At last he hit upon the simple expedient of ordering his occasional spreads in the banqueting room, on the second floor, of the best restaurant of the town. He had to pay for the use of the room, but that was nothing to Lebaudy. The difficulty was to get to the banquet after it was ordered. To pass through the rooms full of officers downstairs was out of the question. To make of any side door was equally impossible.

There was nothing but to rent the house next door and have a way cut through in the partition. STERLING HEILIG. omnibus. Barmaids in the common "publics" treat him with superior coolness. Shop girls utterly disdain him.

Only nursemaids in the parks are kind to him. On the other hand, I would prefer to be a British aoldier while on duty, for the mere matter of the "police hall" is capable of making the French conscript's life a burden to him. The police hall is a long cell, with heavy bolted doors and small, barred windows. These cells are always full of honest for his country and his monthly pay. Everything is done to make the service attractive to courageous but lazy young men.

The theory of the French conscription, having nothing to do with the difficulties of enlistment, is that, for its drafted men, severity is the mother of discipline. But the great public is not deceived in either case. It reasons that the British soldier, having freely enlisted in what is, after all, a poorly paid service, must have had little to leave, and treats him accordingly. The Queen's uniform becomes a badge to mark the unsuccessful young man who cannot get along, or will not get along, at any other occupation. SHIELDED BY HIS UNIFORM.

The French soldier, to the contrary, finds his uniform a real masquerading disguise; for, as every young Frenchman must do his three years' enforced military service, the cherry-colored pantaloons may just as well conceal the legs of an aristocrat and millionaire as those of a dog stealer. On duty his officers may consider it expedient to lick him into shape by end less school mastering. It is true that he regularly has no vocation for arms, and does not want to be a soldier. He is only a civilian going through a soldier train ing; and as such he may need harsher treatment than the British volunteer, who has given the best proof he really wants to be a soldier. But off duty the French conscript cannot help getting all the social consideration due to his dis guising uniform.

I have seen such a one, in uniform, accompanying his mother to church and she a duchess. I have seen another, just behind him, enter the same church and he the son of a poor peasant woman, who assists her husband in a suburban truck patch. Each had me military bearing. At first sight you could scarcely have told them apart. It results from all this that the French private soldier might go anywhere in uniform where he might go as a civilian, were it not for the embarrassing presence of his superior officers.

In the ordinary garrison towns there is an understanding that certain cafes and restaurants must be left sacred to this hierarchy. It is not as if the citizens objected to the presence of the rank and file in uniform. Nor would any officer, if questioned, admit any personal repugnance to sitting in the tame room with one of his privates. He would simply say that 'the thing is embarrassing all around," and that "it is not done." In these garrison towns the military element outweighs all others. Often there are not enough civilians to dilute the military clientele of a cafe to anything like the proportions of a mixed assembly.

It is not fitting that officers and men should mingle socially. And they could not help mingling uncomfortably should both classes frequent the same brasseries, cafes and restaurants. Two-thirds of the rank and file, indeed. one wanted to go. I was among the first, and pleaded so pitifully that he laughed and said, 'Yes.

orderly, you had a pretty hard time of it to-day, so take off your belt and get a rifle and get in the I had worn a web belt loaded with ten pounds of cartridges all day and was played out. but that whisky put life in me tor anything. Well, we got away from the ship with ten men and Sir. Hughes, executive officer, charge. The ship covered our landing, about 200 yards from shore.

When we got there we landed and were immediately surrounded by a crowd of Spanish naval and army officers and hundreds of bluejackets from their ships; dead and wounded were being carried around everywhere on stretchers. We were at the navy yard, near the arsenal buildings. Every one was laboring the most intense and the officers almost hysterical. They saluted us with both hands, and it was sometime before we could make ourselves understood. Then one, who appeared to be the officer in command, introduced himself to Mr.

Hughes and, after searching his pockets in vain for a card, tore off his epaulets and presented them with a bow. Hughes told them that ho had come over to burn those ships lying in there; then a howl went up, 'No, no, Senor, no, He told them if they intended to fire on them he would return to the ship. They made haste to say, 'No, again. said he, am going to carry out our They wanted him to wait until they hunted up their admiral, who had disappeared (and, by the way. has not turned up yet), but he said he had ho time and we shoved off to the Isle de Cuba and went aboard.

She showed signs of having been fought in the forenoon, riddled with small shot, such as three and six-pounders and thirty-seven millimeter. Her guns had been made useless by throwing the breech plugs overboard when she was abandoned. Everything was left just as it was when she was fighting, lots of blood but nobody aboard, except a monkey and a cat, which we brought off with us. We went, from ship to snip, Isle de branes, above alluded to. more than the skin proper, whereas, the poison ivy affects the skm much more frequently than it does the mucous membranes.

"Many persons of experience in the tropics assert that it is unwise to camp near this tree. If poisoned by the mancnineai, and beyond reach of surgeon's help, the best thing to do is to wash the affected part freely with salt water. This deadly tree is sometimes called by the natives the manzanilla," So must it now as ever be, Some martyred heroes we shall see, Their fame inscribed in living light. Their courage true, their honor bright; Tet nameless 'as the painted rose Or Illy which in fragrance grows, Only to die, shall they, too, be The guardians of our liberty. 4 Then stand thou, firm, oh, granite cold! their brave deeds are truly told Unto the nations still to be, Till Time becomes Eternity.

For men shall come and men shall go, Til! all our race shall truly know That valor lives, without a name. 1l scribed upon the scroll of Fame. JAMES T. McCOIXOM. service and good manners." THE TYRANNOUS PETTY Last week a private soldier of my acquaintance had full afternoon "permission" and had planned a highly amusing outing for himself." But as he was passing out the barracks gate, the sergeant, sitting there in a cool shadow, coloring meerschaum pipe that he had blackmailed from a newly arrived conscript, called out "Halt!" Then he began: "Do you disgrace the service by.

going 'out on your permission with a head of hair like that? Go to the barber of your company and have it cut!" So a half hour was wasted. "Halt!" the humorous petty officer exclaimed again, as the unlucky fellow started out a second time. "You have a button loose there." Ten minutes more lost, sewing on the button. Then it was, in succession, "Halt! Have you the nerve to go out with those dirty gloves?" and "Halt! Do me the favor to go back and give your shoes a better pol ishing," and "Halt! Hum! You appear to be all right this time. Remember in the future I am not your nurse or valet.

and attend to these small trifles of your toilet on your own account. The British soldier could never be made to tolerate such nagging, nor would his superiors consider it good for him. He is Belfort Music Halls ing the whole day was a sight fit for gods to look upon. My life up to now has been of little use to anyone, and myself least of all; but after witnessing that glorious spectacle I feel and know that I have not lived in that it was worth a whole lifetime to see what wc saw that day at Cavite. At one time her motion was hardly perceptible, and we felt sure she was fatally struck, but no, she kept on to the end.

The Olympia had started after her in her very tracks, and the Petrel after the Olympia. We came along just as she did, but, although the firing from the fortifications was still lively, the worst of it had been silenced by Captain Dyer, of the Baltimore. Our ship stood in until within 800 yards of the shore, and stopped and blazed away, all alone, until the Spanish flags had been hauled down and a flag I had never seen before, the white flag, hoisted in their places on the government fortifications. Our captain, from his place, on the bridge, turned around to his crew, who were all blacker and dirtier than the worst tramp you ever saw, some undressed, scarcely a rag on them; others covered with clothes torn and burnt by powder, sweat running down their faces: the decks covered and littered with all kinds of battle gear, ammunition and soot but no blood. The officers were no better off than the men, every one as deaf as a post, but hap-nv.

crloriouslv happW Each of us wore a gleam on our black, dirty faces not often nobly, my lads, damme, I'm proud of you, that what I am -proud of you! Boatswain, pipe all hands to splice the main then followed something I had never seen before. The doctor and apothecary brought up two gallons of whisky and we fell in line, officers and all, and we got a stiff jolt. It was against the rules of the blue book, but we needed it, and that badly, for we were exhausted from heat and hard work, smoke and lack of proper food. After we had rested a few minutes the captain called for volunteers to man the first whaleboat to go ashore and set fire to the remaining ships. Of course every persons are more sensitive to the effect of this poison than others.

In fact there are a few who are not effected by it at all, just as is the case with our poison oak or poison ivy, tne cniei dinerence oeing mat i 1 (V .1 the mancnineai euecis tne mucous mem A simple soldier boy was he. Who gave his life for you and me; Laid down the hope and joy of youth To save the cause of Right and Truth. What boots it though his ashes lie Beneath our own, or foreign sky? That name shall ever dearer be To "them that love their liberty. A thousand flowers have bloomed and died, Unr-amed and unidentified: Their beauty, fragrance flown. Across the lea.

by breezes blown; A thousand lives have passed away To live again In that great -day When and Truth, and Bight shall be The boon of all eternity. you to the officier de service!" It happened that this official was a brilliant young dragoon captain of the easy-going, aristocratic type. "Who sent yon here?" he asked. "That infantry sergeant downstairs? But it looks very well on you, that Kepi. xou are free." "Thanks, my captain, said the offend er of etiquette, gratefully, and retired to brag of his victory to a brother dragoon.

"Don't be uneasy, xou can go to the officer of the guard in fancy dress. I did it." Relying on he adventure, the other went down to the place the next day without taking the trouble to put on undress boots and cap. "Another of these dandy dragoons wearing full dress garments out of service! cried the sergeant. "They will take you to the officier de service!" "Much I care," thought the gay dragoon. But this time he found a grim old captain of infantry, who wrote out the following slip to him without delay: "Four days of police hall for the briga dier Bechut.

Order of the captain. Having a permission to be signed, he present ed himself to the sergeant of the guard in his patent leather boots and full dress Lebaudy Liked the side and out the other, and was still going, while we were not touched. But one big shell struck about thirty feet off our Btar-bpard bow and threw the water as high as the foremast, drenching every one in that part of the ship, for which they were very thankful, for it was awfully hot; another one struck twenty yards off the starboard beam, ricocheted right over the ship and alighted fifty yards on the other side, while we could hear that awful scream continually over our heads. After the first few shots the men acted as though they were at drill, no confusion of any kind, and every one did his duty without exception. We worked hard and quickly and the captain, in complimenting us a day or so afterward, said that "there was not nearly so much noise and confusion as at general quarters in a peaceful port.

It was like target practice, only the target was firing back." At 11.45 we got under way and stood in for Cavite, the Baltimore leading by request of her captain, who is an old war horse and a volunteer officer, one of the very few left in the navy. (A favorite expression of his in speaking to or correcting an officer is: You came through the Naval Academy with $30,000 worth of education to back you up; I came through the hawser pipe, but I know better than In the meantime the Concord had started off to the north after a crippled steamer, which was trying to make her way over to Manila for protection, still keeping up a steady fire. The Baltimore started out, heading directlv for the southern end of the sand pits; 6he Kept steaming in until she was within 1200 yards of the shore, then turned her bis broadside on and steamed slowly and steadily along, almost creeping, her big booming with lightning-like rapidity and making fearful havoc among the shore batteries, which were returning shot for shot, which struck all around her. We were expecting to see her sunk before our eyes every minute, but she kept on and on, keeping uo her fire as steadily as before. Oh.

the grandeur, the glory of it! To see that shinful of brave men, under the most galling fire the Spaniards put up dur R. T. T. ROTHROCK, State Forestry Commissioner of Pennsylvania, who has traveled extensively in South America. Cuba and the West Indies, and who is thoroughly familiar with the flora or these tropical lands, has just sounded a note of warning to the soldiers of our nation, which should not go unheeded.

Knowing the many dangers which the men belonging to the army of invasion are bound to be subjected to and which cannot be avoided in the ordinary course of events. Dr. Rothrock believes that there is one hidden danger in the floral world which has not been taken into consideration, and which they should be prepared to avoid, as it is not a necessary consequence of war. He has conseauentlv prepared a little uamDhlet for srratuitous distribution among the troops entitled, "Soldiers Be ware of the Manchineal lree. During the course of a conversation had with Dr.

Rothrock the other day regard ing the deadly tree in question, the iruit of which will likelv temnt the soldiers like the apple did Eve, and with the same batanic results, the said: "The manchineal tree grows along the seashore of Cuba and the est India Islands eenerallv. It is from fortv to fiftv feet high, has oval, pointed, toothed shining leaves, which are from three to four inches long. When the fresh leaves are pulled off a drop of milky juice comes from the leaf stem. The fruit, which is very tempting, is a yellowish green, fragrant and somewhat resembling an apple in shape. If bitten into, it makes the mouth very Bore and may produce serious results.

"After handling any part of the tree root, leaves or fruit, rubbing the eyes may cause them to become seriously inflamed. Mucous membranes, such as the red mar gin of the lips or eyes, or, arms, are particularly subiect to its poisonous effect. "It is said by many of the natives to cause poisonous effects even if the tree is not touched, but by simply being in its neighborhood. Many persons are alleged 'to have been injured from being under the tree during a shower, when the drops of water tell upon them trom the tree. Some Beside the river's silver sheen.

In meadows dressed In vernal green, Where wooded hills their summits raise. And flashing sunbeam lightly plays. There stands a shaft of granite old, "Willi tablets which are thus enscrolled: "Here lie the dead who dared to die. For country, and for liberty." Upon its tablets read the name Of him who died unknown to fame, Who on his country's altar laid An off'ring that shall never fade. Wbil- flowers bloom and waters flow That name shall e'er more brightly glow- The name that gives to you and me Our country, and our liberty.

I consiaeraDie narasnip Dut tor tne sustaining thought that, after all, the thing is only temporary and that in a couple of years they are to put off the uniform and be themselves again. When Max Lebaudy 1 T- 1 i It 1 was at ijeuort it was amusing to ODserve him dodging his superiors, and the incongruity of his position and his tendencies furnished the inhabitants of the little town with continual entertainment. LEBAUDY SOLVED A DIFFICULTY. Although an insignificant little place, Belfort is one of the most important strategic points on the Alsatian frontier. It is overrun by infantry, artillery and hussars, and you will see twice as many soldiers as civilians on its streets.

It has only two cafes and three restaurants of any pretension to the first class, while its one theatre is respectable but intermittent, and its two music halls are ordinary. Lebaudy had his own rooms in the town. Four Days "Order Cuba, Luzon, General Lezo, Marquis del Luero and Don Juan of Austria. The latter had some officers aboard, who had followed us from shore and when we boarded her they begged pitifully to spare this one, for she was a. beauty sure enough, but we had our orders to burn and destroy and we carried them out to the letter.

Before 5 P. M. seven handsome ships were blazing away and two days later nothing could be Been of the Spanish fleet but a few burnt masts sticking dismally and forlornly out of the water a resting place for weary sea gulls and fish hawks. All the ships we boarded were eleirantlv and luxuriouslv furnished. In some of them the mess gear had been spread and eatables and wine were littered around the decks in profusion.

We procured a great many curios, but none, of real value, as the lieutenant would not let ius take anything bulky. I procured some letters, charts and photographs and on the Don Juan saw a package of letters on the captain's desk and stood there and tore the stamps off the envelopes for Walter. The other men got swords, revolvers, rifles, but don't ltnow what to do with them, as they have no room to stow them. The rifles, by the way, were magazine guns of the very latest make. The next day the Spanish officers came alongside our ship to arrange the surrender of Cavite to Captain Lamberton, who represented the Commodore.

They were nervous and trembling like leaves, poor fellows, and when told that we did not intend to bombard Manila could hardly believe it. These people cannot understand why we do not murder and kill every one in sight. That night at 5 o'clock after some parley the Spanish vacated the beautiful site and town of Cavite and left in our hands property amounting to millions of dollars. They did not want to go. Their homes were there, although their families had been removed to Manila weeks before.

They were afraid of the rebels, whom, by 150 years of the most outrageous cruelty, they had taught to hate them more than the Cubans do and from whom they NE of the things which astronomers have found out with absolute certainty is that the path which the earth describes in its passage round the sun is not a circle, but is an ellipse, and that the sun is not at the centre of this oval, so that the earth's distance from the sun varies to the extent of about 3,000,000 miles. That is all right. If the earth chooses to swing in an oval patch instead ot in a circle, that is her affair and the sun's. But what does not seem to be right, but, on the contrary, to be quite wrong, ac cording to our common experience, is that the coldest weather should come at tne time when the earth is the nearest to the sun and vice versa the warmest when she is the farthest from it. To illustrate this incongruity of things, the second of this month was the hottest day of this year, thus far; yet on that day the earth was at its greatest distance from the sun 3,000,000 miles lartner irom it man on the 1st of January.

Here is a rjuzzle. ot which rt is not pro posed now to give an elaborate and com-Dlete solution. But inasmuch as the facts just noted are undoubtedly a little mysti- tying, a hint may De tnrown out, or wnicn every thinking person will see the point. On the first day of last January the sun rose at Philadelphia at 7.23 A. M.

and set at 4.45 P. M. It was above the hori zon 9 hours 22 minutes, or but little more Daza was invented bv a Frenchman named Carot, who perfected it early thU year. He offered it to his government, but was told that the French army could fight well enough with the powder of Napoleon. Carot offered his invention to England, but was laid upon the shelf.

Finally he took it to Spain, where it was tried and accepted. Meanwhile a syndicate had been formed to manufacture and protect daza, and the purchase price was held high. The Queen Regent, who is a progressive Austrian, wholly unlike the Spanish, appointed a committee to test it. The committee reported that for ripping qualities da7a had no equal. The Queen Regent, on hearing this, decided to purchase it.

The secret was held by the inventor, but, for a certain sum, he would give it up. Accordingly the head of the Spanish wnrlra r-a 11 nrirm him And made the arrangements; and the following day the inventor visited the government laboratory and expounded the mysteries the it his to big use don't serve common soldiers." Tommy Atkins, while off duty and in uniform, is always made to feel that he is a common person. The theatres want him only in upper gallery or the pit. He knows better than to venture a remark to a well-dressed city clerk on the top of an the Colonel ffhzUtbny and some moving slowly along the shore while others were seen in the little harbor the navy yard. "The flagship headed directly for them, rest following as before.

When we were within two and a half miles of them they opened fire, which was answered instantly by the flagship and Concord. Their shots all fell a thousand yards short. The skipper says, 'By gosh, this looks like" business, and sang out to sound quar-teis. "In a minute every one in the fleet was his station, the Stars and Stripes on every mast and peak in the ships, and the ball was going merrily on. We maneuvered, up one side and down the other, like irginia Reel.

It was beautiful, and worked like clockwork, not a hitch anywhere. "The range was given by the navigator the foretrucks to me, and I passed it to the G-inch guns and secondary batteries. It ranged from 1S0O to 2000 yards. In a short time we saw one ship fire, the Reina Christiana, their most formidable cruiser. She started to come toward us, but a G-inch shell from us and 8-inch from the Olympia burst her boilers and gutted her from stem to stern.

The Spanish bravely fought her after she was on fire. One hundred and fifty men, including her captain, were killed by those two shots. We kept up the firing for over two hours, then hauled off on account of the smoke; it was so hot and sultry that hung on the water in vast clouds and hid the shore from sight. itz cfto-iiv perform his gruesome duty, when the wo man turned to Colonel Buck, and, raising one hand to heaven, as if to direct her last words on earth, pronounced this astound ing propecy: "Jonathan Buck listen to these words, the last my tongue shall utter. It is the spirit, of the only true and living God which bids me speak them to you.

You will son die. Over your grave they will erect a stone, that all may know where your bones are crumbling into dust. But listen, upon that stone the imprint of my feet will appear and for all time, long after your accursed race has perished from the face of the earth will the people from far and near know that you murdered a woman. Remember well, Johnathan Buck, remember well." Then she turned to her executioners and another act, one of the forever ineffaceable blots, was made a part of American colonial history. The "Witch's Curse," as it was called and is to this day, was almost' forgotten until many years afterward, when the monument was erected to the memory of Bucksport's founder.

It had been in position hardly a month when a faint outline was discovered upon. it. This gradually grew more and more distinct until some one made the startling discovery that it was the outline of a foot which some, supernatural draughtsman had traced on the granite. The old legend was revived, and the Buck cemetery was for years the mecca of the superstitious and curious for miles around. The "Witch's Curse" had been fulfilled, thev said.

An attempt was made to re move the stain, but all efforts tended only to bring the outline out in bolder relief. The stain or whatever it was seemed to penetrate to the very centre of the stone. The hinges of the big gate have creaked for the last time to admit a Buck. The last of the race has been laid to rest he- neath the oaks and maples and the setting sun throws the shadow of the once mighty Colonel Johnathan Buck's monument, athwart the doublo -w of mossy mounds, as if still exertirtr h'1? authority and the same ravs litrht that mvsterious tracine held up to the view of all that pass and repass along the dusty turnpike. The imnrint of the foot is a fact, and is there to-dav as plain as ever.

The legend of the "Witch Curse" may or may not be a fact. The fanciful defend the legend, An exchange, in discussing the matter, says: "Scientific investigation has disclosed the fact that a few grains of permanganate of potash will destroy all the em; bryo mosquitoes in a very large area of mosquito swamp. At 2 cents an' acre all the mosauitoes can be killed off for a space of oO days, and as the breeding time is but two months, 4 cents will assure pro- 1 TL- 1 tecuon ior tne entire year. j.ms places it within the possibility of a State and certainly a city to entirely rid itself of a great nuisance." April and May are the two months in which the mosquito breeds. They are purely local in their habits, and not migratory, as some suppose, and seldom move more than a few hundred feet from the PARIS, July 7 I would rather go into a Paris cafe or brasserie with a French conscript than accompany a British volunteer into a high-clas London bar or restaurant, because the Frenchman would be sure of courteous treatment, while the free-born Briton might easily be told, "We Called Down by ILLIAM G.

KRAMER, of Danville, has received a letter from his son which gives a very excellent account of the battle in Manila Bay, the more especially as it eives personal ex periences. Frank N. Kramer, the son, is the Petrel, which took a big part in the battle, and after giving the familiar details relative to the movements of the fleet previous to the battle, he says: "It was without exception the greatest and mort solemn moment of my life, an j.I had ample time to think and realize it while momentarily expecting the fire of the enemy. You know what the sus-; pense before the battle is, that time of dreadful waiting, which every soldier so fears and detests. I have often heard veterans tell of it.

but now I know it, and the memory of it will always stay with me, and when I get to be an old and decrepit man it will be as vivid and real as it was that May day morning in the tropics. "While we still looked the first faint flush of dawn came and we discovered the ships we were headirg for to be a fleet of merchantmen sailing ships of all nations; drawn up there out of the line of fire. The flagship immediately put about and headed to the southwest, and then, the light becoming rapidly brighter, we saw the Spaniards and their men-of-war drawn up in line of battle, well up in front of the fortifications of Cavite. There appeared to be about eight ships, some at anchor 17 LC LOSE by the country road on the outskirts of the sleepy old seaport town of Bucksport, on the Penobscot, down in Maine, i a small family cemetery. Within the inclosure, with its high iron fence, in the quiet and almost gloomy shade, sleep the Bucks, the blue-blooded and aristocratic clan which first settled the town and bequeathed it their name and a legend.

Of the many mots-grown tablets and monuments the largest and most conspicuous is a tall granite shaft in plain sight of the highway. On one side is the inscription Col. John Buck, The Founder of Bucksport. A. D.

1702. Born in Haverhill, 1718. Died March IS, 1795. On the other side is the single word Buck" and also something not wrought by the marble-worker. On the smooth surfaca of the pedestal is a curious outline, irregular, and describing that which can easily be imagined to be the1 form of a foot of normal size.

Some people say that it is a foot, but those are of tne superstitious town folk who believe the legend which has been choice stock in Bucksport for many years. They that delight in perpetuating thi story say that Colonel Johnathan Buck was a very stern and harsh man and the leading spirit of his day and generation. His word was law in the community, lie was the highest in civil authority and his decision as immovable as the granite hills that loom up in the haze of the northern horizon. He was most puritanical, and to him witchcraft was trie incarnation of blas-'phemy. Thus, so the storv goesf when a certain woman was accused ot witchcraft, at the first clamorines of the nonulaee.

Colonel Buck ordered her to be imprisoned, and later, after a mere form of a hearing, she was sentenced to be executed as a witch. She pleaded to Buck for her life, but as to a heart of stone. The day of the execution came and the condemned woman went to the gallows cursing her judge with such terrible imprecations that the people shuddered, but the magistrate stood unmoved and made a sign to the oincers to nasten tne arrangements. All was ready and the hangman was about tc HE Mexican Central people are engaged in a new experiment, which if it is all that is claimed for it, will be of inestimable value. To show how earnest they are in the matter, they nave created a new olhce, that of mosquito commissioner, and the portfolio was awarded to Captain Geo.

Sperry, superintendent of telegraph for the company. Experiments in different parts of the United States and in New Jersey in particular, have demonstrated the fact that the extermination of the mosquito can be successfully done. BO the by the at the in aft on an it cvw i Frenchmen serving in the army without pay and with not much enthusiasm, bomc- times the "motives" assigned for the "pun ishment" are in the ordinary line of dis cipline, as: "Four days of consigne, order of Sereeant Rossarelli. to soldier of the second class Oignon, for having invited a comrade to drink in an establishment of the fourth class, and, at the moment of paying, declaring himself to have no mon ey." Or, as: "Two days of consigne, or der of Corporal vasseur, to soldier ot the second class Malet, for having soiled a mpssroom towel bv enveloping in It a niece of ham destined to his repast." But who is safe from punishment like the following: "Eight days of police hall to Cor poral August Bazola, order of the captain, for having made allusion to late political events durip- his instruction hour?" Or the following: "Four days of consigne, order of Sergeant Ravel, to the soldier-reser- viste Bondon. Being it the cantonnement he profited by a moment of a sentinel distraction to pull a hair from his horse- LHH Willi nilltu VJ i 1 1 a THE ORIGINAL, "MARTINET." The most trifling breaches, not only of discipline, but of mere etiquette, are so severely punished by that 6pecies of French officer called martinet that a new word has thereby been added to most languages; and when account is taken of the easy-going leniency of the more aristocratic type of officer the French soldier's life will be seen to be strewn with deceptions.

For example, the other day a dragoon brigadier of my acquaintance was obliged, to present himself to the sergeant of the guard. the soberly dressed infantry are jealous of the gayly costumed cavalry, and never lose chance to show it. "How!" exclaimed the infantrv sereeant. "You have the aplomb to come to me for a permission Slccownt of tin J7a.tU We could not tell the effect of our fire very well on account of the distance. Their fire was coming from their ships and forts; also from their batteries, away over at Manila.

While it was rapid and constant it took no effect, either going over our heads or falling far short. They seemed unable to get our range, while we had no trouble in finding them. Our ship did exceptionally good shooting and as our vessels passed each other on their way to and fro we would cheer and yell like demons. We improved the time by eating a hasty breakfast, while the enemy kept up a desultory fire, doing no damage. Three of their ships were on fire and sinking, while the others that were able to steam were making for the little harbor back of the navy yard, which afforded thenl some protection and allowed them to fire over the mole at us, while the forts and batteries in Cavite could keep up their fire without fear of hitting them.

Commanding officers repaired aboard the flaeshin and at 11.30 the captain re turned and said: "Well, we are going in side; one bold move will do the trick now, and we are going to make it. Don't waste a shot, and make every one tell." We were waiting td hear from the captain what damage had been done to our ships and went wild when he told us that net one drop of American blood had been 6hed as yet, and that the only hits were UUC UU bi-lG Vi A .7 mark, one, a six-pounder, through the Bal timore wardroom eight reet apove water-line, doing no damage just passed in one The Buck Monument Showing Its Strange Disfigurement but the practical point out the apparent discrepancy between the dates ot the era of witchcraft persecution and the regime of Colonel Buck. They say that the stain is simplv an accidental fault in the granite. and that the legend was made to fit the foot, and not the foot the legend. But the foot is there.

place of birth. Hence to exterminate the breed in a certain locality would rid that locality of the pest for that season at least, and the method of extermination is so inexpensive that an entire community may be rid of them at a very small ex pense. The insect breeds in water, and a few drops of oil or grains of permanganate will prevent the eggs from hatching, and kill the young. The mosquitoes which it is the intention of the LJentral to kill on breed in the ditch which runs along the entire length of the company's yard, and which is very prolific in this pest. The company has bought about 20 pounds of permanganate of potash and will begin the work of extermination.

of the Sergeant" could hope for no mercy. Thus far the rebels have remained quiet and in communication with our commodore. The Spanish army is in camp some ten miles out in the foot hills about 15,000 strong. The rebels have possession of all the railroads. and seem to control the situation.

After we had burnt all the ships and ceased firing we went out to the fleet, which lay some 4000 yards off watching us, and when we carne alongside of them, they cheered and cheered us one after another loud and long. We could not under- '1 Twl 1 oil 4" Vi i.i rC fi rerM artA fOT-tfolna would yell "Three cheers for Captain Wood, and the baby," and how they would respond, while our little old man was bobbing his head off with joy. I did not know then what it meant, but do now; when we went in that la6t time, we were nearer Heaven than we had ever been before, but that is a long story and I will tell it later. 1 When the captain made his report to the Commodore, the latter shaking his hands before the whole crew of the Olympia, said: "Captain Wood, by heavens, if there are words beautiful enough ana adequate enough in the English language, to describe the movements and work of yourself, ship and crew to-day, I'll make it my duty to hunt them out and send them to America." The old man said that night he had been waiting and working for fifty-six years for those words and they had come at last and lie did not care what Came after that. The other day when we leturned from one of our frequent trips down the bay destroying guns and batteries, we saw as we drew nearer that the old Bursree with one white star, had disappeared from the mainmast of the Olympia, and in its place was the bi blue flag with two white stars of the Rear-Admiral.

The McCulIough had returned with the thanks of the President, Congress and the American people, and our great Commodore had been made Rear-Admiral. 1 It was a great day; wc manned yards and veiled ourselves hoarse. FRANK N. KRAMER. than one-third of the twenty-four hour which constitute the day, and it was below the horizon nearly twice as Moreover, it was badly handicapped in its effort to neat the earth in our latitude by its low altitude, even when at its highest.

The heat which the sun then poured down upon the earth, while it was above the horizon, began to radiate into space directlv the sun Bet. The earth then warmed itself during one-third of the time and cooled during two-thirds of the time, and this thing had been going on for some weeks at least the time of cooling had exceeded that of warming. The earth having thus lost more heat than it re-ceivea daily having drawn upon its bank account found itself on the first of January away below its average yearly tein-perture. In Julv there is a reverse ordeT of things. On the 2d of the month the sun rises at 4.36 A.

M. and sets at 7.31 P. M. It is above the horizon for us nearly two-thirds of the day, and below it but one-third. Moreover, at midday the sun is now well up toward the zenith and has the fairest kind of a shot at our section of the earth.

In this latitude the earth at this season receives heat two-thirds of the time and parts with it only one-third of the time. It is laying in a supply of heat to assist it through the winter, and just now its bunkers are pretty well filled. Such being the earth's habit, its variation in distance from the sun ie a matter of minor importance. of daza. But not until the purchase money had been paid.

On the day daza became known to the Spanish Government a very large confidential sum passed into the hands of the syndicate. The price was so high that the Cabinet remonstrated with the inventor, but to no avail. They told him he was ignorant of the great honor. But he replied that he was one of those ignorant people who knew a good thing when they saw it. And daza was a good thing.

linallv the Uueen Kegent declared tnas she would raise the money as other queene of Spain had raised it before her. would sell her crown jewels! In an old coronet worn by Johenna was an uncut ruby of great size. It is the third largest ruby in the world. Uncut it is worth fifty thousand pesetas. Cut it is worth twice the sum, although cutting would reduce ita size.

To cut it would cost one-tenth of its value. The Queen Regent decided to sell this jewel, and it passed last week into the hand3 of the original owners of daza, who will it in presumed either place it on sale in Bond street or dispose of it at private sal? to en American millionaire to adorn the tiara of some self-crowned American queen. American inventors of high explosivee smile at the discovery of daza and say that it is a form of cun with certain good qualities lacking. They declare it to be only a slight advance upon dynamite in its crudest state. The gun from which the daza projectile is hrta is tube-shaped, similar to the dy namite guns of the Vesuvius, and is, like the Vesuvius gun, built specially for it.

Its motive force is compressed air. 1 1 A..