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THE jSTCAINTA TSEmiAVEBltlJX XUL KINAIj, ATLANTA, (jA., FKIDAX, DECEMBER Zb, 1913.
LID PRISONER 3 YEARS
TO BE WITH LOVED ONE
On Lawyer's Death, Sister
Opens Bluebeard Chamber;
Finds Woman There
(By Associated PrOse.)
MONTICELLO, N. Y., Dec. 25.—With
the release from the Sullivan county jail
of Miss Adelaide M. Brance, who for
three years endured voluntary confine
ment for the saKe of being- the secret
companion of Melvin H. Couch, the mys
tery of her Identity may #ever be
solved. Probably she will be freed to
day. She told her jailer last nlgrht that
her only wish was to be permitted to
leave Monticello Quietly to lessen the
burden of anxiety for Couch’ll wife and
daughter.
Bit by bit Sheriff Frank L. Kinne and
George L. Cook, county prosecutor, have
brought out the story of Miss Brance’s
life with Couch, whose death she an
nounced in so dramatic a manner Sun
day at the home of Dr. J. F. Curlette,
brother-in-law of the dead attorney. Dr.
Curlette notified the coroner and the
sheriff and these officials joined with
him in an effort to keep the facts of
the lawyer’s double lif/5 from becoming
the gossip of the village.
A BLUEBEARD CHAMBER.
The story became known when Mrs.
Couch, exploring her husband’s offices
after his sudden death, went into a
room which the lawyer alwaj r s had for
bidden her to enter. There she found
Miss Brance.
Later the woman told her story to the
county prosecutor. Many years ago, she
said, she lived at Goshen, N. Y., but
facts concerning her early life she with
held. After much questioning she told
of her life in the little room opening
off Couch’s offices. She never went out
except at night and then onl^- when she
was sure no one would see her. She
lived on provisions brought to her by
the lawyer and through it all, she said,
she was happy.
WAS BOOK AGENT.
She said she was forty years old and
had been a book agent.. Her story stop
ped there except with the explanation
that it was while trying to interest
Couch in a book fifteen years ago that
tl/eir friendship began. They met at fre
quent intervals after that time, she said,
until about three years ago when they
concluded that secret meetings that had
lasted a day could be prolonged to a
week, then weeks. Finally she took up
living quarters in the lawyer's offices.
When confronted by the widow of the
man with whom she had lived in secret
for so many years. Miss Brance begged
for forgiveness, crying “I loved him, I
loved him.” Her grief at Couch’s death
was genuine and the sheriff, who at first
harbored suspicions concerning her, was
finally forced to admit that there was
no charge upon which she could be
held.
At the county jail Miss Brance has
denied herself to all callers, saying that
she desired only to be permitted to leave
and to be forgotten.
An autopsy performed upon the body
of Couch revealed that his death had
been due to heart disease. The coroner’s
verdict was accidental death. The body
was tak^n to Couch’s late home at the
request of the widow, whose silence re
mained unbroken today.
Loss From Poor Seed
The importance of natural variation
and differences in climate in relation
to agricultural production, has never
been fully realized. Under natural
conditions only those survive which
can modify their habits of growth so
as to make a successful resistance to
destructive influenoes and propagate
their kind.
When man enters in as a factor he
may, and usually does in a consider
able measure, Interfere with these
natural adjustments. He selects indi
viduals and cultivates them for some
natural peculiarity, and as a result
intensifies these features; but unless
he follows nature’s methods and de
stroys the plants that are not best
adapted to his conditions and require
ments he soon gets a mixture of indi
viduals, good, bad and indifferent, and
cultivates them all together.
On the other hand, ir he selects the
individuals that gives the best results
under his peculiar conditions and pre
vents their crossing with the less de
sirable sorts, he soon develops a strain
of 'high efficiency and productiveness
for those particular conditions; but,
like nature, he must continually select
the good and persistently destroy the
bad. of eventually lose all and see the
variety “run out.”
The great impotrance of seelcting and
growing seed under the conditions un
der which the future crop must 'oe
grown is now apparent.—A. F. Woods.
CHILD GENIUS CONFOUNDS SCIENTISTS
BY TAKING ELECTRICITY FROM THE AIR
Just v a 16-Year-Old Farmer
Boy With a Grammar School
Education, Yet He H-as Per
formed a Miracle by Har-<
nessing Electricity of the
Skies
BY JACK JTJNGMEYES.
ELK GROVE, Cal., Dec. 25.—Three
years ago the mother of Roy J. Thomp- j
son testily commanded her son to “take j
those contraptions off the house” be
cause “they mussed up the place so.” j
Today this sixteen-year-old lad, hei'- j
aided as the youthful wizard of the elec
trical world, is being offered fabulous
sums for the right to commercialize his
“contraption.”
The apparatus that “mussed up the
place” is taking electricity out of the
air and converting it directly into dyna
mic energy.
It is lighting the Thompson farm
house with incandescent bulbs attached
to a wire aerial, and operating a motor
from the same source.
This uncouth country lad has con
founded scientists and upset old theories
of electrical phenomena, if his discovery
stands up to the apparent achievements.
A grammar grade education and glean
ings from borrowed technical books, to
gether with a short experience as assist
ant to a stage electrician, are his men
tal equipment.
‘/The electricity is gathered up there
on the aerial,” he explained. “It is
drawn down through wires by powerful
magnets into a loose-couple turner and
shot into Leyden jars. From there it
passes through several transformers,
lowering the load by steps from 2,500 to
1110 volts, and then into the motor.”
“See!” The one-horse motor began
to purr as he threw a switch.
“For the lights it is stepped up, to j
increase the ampheres, and goes through
a condenser. T have trouble in keeping
the load down so as not to 1 burn out the
lights. I have had six lit at one time.” j
“Yes,” interjected the mother, now
a little in awe of her son, “we eat sup
per by the lights Roy gets out of the
air.
"He’s been monkeying; with wires and
coils and. such things ever since he was
a litle shaver,” she continued. "We
came out here from Oklahoma specially
to give the boy a chance. I don’t mind
the cluttering now, and pa has let him
put his riggin’ on the barn.
“He’s not much for playing. Just
works all the time. And clothes—why
he don’t care for them at all.
“His pa gave him money for a suit
the other day, but 'stead of that he
bought more fixin’s for his. machine.
Got $700 in it right now. Said overalls
\ ,
SLAGKHAND LETTEfiS FAIL
TO WOODY JUDGE LANDIS
They Never Mean to Carry Out
Threats, He Says-Has
Received Score
Bouillon Cubes Nearly
All Salt and of Little
Food Value, Experts-Say
M
4§
Roy .J.^Thompson, boy genius, with his pet dog. On the left is his
mother. * I
1 ?
(By Associated Press.)
CHICAGO, Dec. 25.—More than
twenty Black Hand letters threatening
to blow up his home have been re
ceived by Judge K. M. Landis, of the
United States court, in the last five
years. This was made known yesterday
while the judge was hearing a case
against John Folie, charged with writ
ing three such notes.
“I just sent the letters to siare
him,” pleaded the prisoner.
“That’s all the Black Hand letter
writer does,” remarked the judge. “In
the last five years I have had from a
dozen to twenty such cases as this and
they all pleaded they never meant to
carry out the threat and I know they
never meant to.”
Then the judge told of -his receipt of
threatening notes.
Folie pleaded guilty and was sen
tenced to five years in the penitentiary.
Does Hippopotamus
Sweat Blood? No!
was good enough for him, when we ask
ed about the new suit.
“We encourage him, too—don’t take
nort’e of his money to help out on the
grub bill.”
The father, a weather-beaten shrewd
farmer, came in from his chores.
“We’ve been offered thousands of dol
lars for the rights on the boy’s ma
chine,” he volunteered. "But we don’t
that our son has found something big.
that oru son has found something big.
We’ve gone along many years without a
big wad of money. Guess we can get
along a few more years, if necessary.
“If the machine is worth big money/
I want the boy to get his due. If it ain’t,
I don’t want nobody else to be the
sucker.”
Young Thompson is much like the
other farmer lads of the neighborhood.
He plays with his pet calf,. pitches
horseshoes occasionally, is frankly
pleased at the admiration of his many
visitors, and delights in making sharp
trades forr the old jjxnk which his deft
fingers transforms into miracle appa
ratus. ^
MILLIONAIRES, ON TRIAL, FACE
JAIL FOR ROBBING UNCLE SAM
Officials of Western Fuel Coal com
pany now struggling in the meshes of
Ufccle Sam’s legal dragnet. Upper right,
E. H. Mayer, weigher; left, John L.
Howard, president; lower, F. C. Mills,
superintendent.
What Farmers’ Clubs Are
A farmers’ club is an informal as
sociation of a group of people in a
community for the Improvement of
themselves and their homes in particu
lar and the community in general.
We believe in the farmers’ club be
cause we believe that the nejQt great
development in agriculture will be
along the line of co-operation for
greater efficiency in production and in
marketing.
A farmers’ club may be of vital im
portance to a community socially, edu
cationally, and financially.
No important development is likely
to come unless a group of people get
together and work for it. Schools,
roads, and churches all come as a re
sult of a community spirit which de
termines to bring about improvement.
There are many lines along which
improvement is difficult or impossible
! without united effort on the part of
several or all of the people in the
community and almost any reason
able improvement Is possible by com
munity effort.
Young people are more likely to be
satisfied to stay in a community if
they are shown how they may be in
fluential in Its improvement, as they
certainly can be if aroused to see the
possibilities and power of united ef
fort.
■> *
charged as full.
The practice was for the government
inspectors to check the weight of every
fifteenth bucket dumped Into Ameri
can vessels. Fourteen buckets would
be partly filled, and the fifteenth
heavily loaded, it is charged.
The indicted officials disclaim any
dishonest practices and maintain that
the shrinkage by evaporation after the
coal has been turned over to the gov
ernment is responsible for the shortage
in subsequent weight.
When Mr, Hippo Goes a-Sub-
marining He Closes His Ears,
Nose, Mouth and Eyes
A popular theory in regard 'to the hip
popotamus is that it sweats blood. Cir
cus men advertise the animal as the
“blood-shedding behemoth.” The fact
is, the hippopotamus exudes from its
pores a pink, oily substance which
ke'eps its skin in condition. Instead of
sweating blood, it would be more prop
er to say that the hippopotamus car
ries its own cosmetics.
A curious thing about the hippopota
mus is that he can close both his ears
and his nostrils as well as his eyes.
These organs are so located on the head
that they can be the only part of Mr.
Hippo out of water in «case of necessity
which renders him practically Invisible.
Analyses of Department of
Agriculture Disclose Impor
tant Ingredient, Meat Ex
tract,. Is Sadly Lacking
(Special Dispatch to The Journal.)
WASHINGTON, D. C.. Dec. 25.—A
popular fallacy concerning the nutri
tive value of bouillon cubes, such as
are used In the sick room and dispensed
at soda fountains, has been shattered
by experts of, the* federal department
of agriculture. 1
Investigations and analyses by the
department has disclosed that most of
the commercial ho oil Ion cubes contain
from 50 to 75 per cent table salt. As
they range in price from 10 to 20 cents
an ounce, purchasers of these cubes pay
an exceedingly high price for salt when
they buy the cubes.
The analyses show that the cubes
contain a small amount of protein (mus
cle-building material) and have some
stimulating properties, but that they
are sadly lacking in concentrated es-
sense of meat beef broth, as is
popularly believed.
According to analyses of these cubes,
besides the common salt which consti
tutes from 49 to 72 per cent of the
total weight, the amount of meat ex
tract ranges from 8 per cent in the
poorest brands to but 28 per cent in
the very best. The third important in
gredient is plant or vegetable extract
which constitutes from 3 to 30 per cent
This plant extract is useful because of
its flavoring properties but hits slight,
if any, nutritive value.
FOOD VALUE SLIGHT.
The department’s meat chemist has
carefully analyzed semi-solid meat ex
tracts, fluid meat extracts, and com
mercial meat juice, which are offered
oi*. the market to the American public,
in addition to the bouillon cubes. He
has also conducted experiments In
making home-made beef broth and meat
and vegetable soup. A compilation of
the relative costs of commercial ana
home-made meat preparations haa re
sulted in the following table:
Ounces of meat
Extract Obtained
SUBSTANCE- - for 10 Cents.
Best grade bouillon cubes 1-8
Cheapest grade bouillon cube% .. 1-12
Best grade semi-solid meat extract 1-4
Cheapest grade semi-solid meat
extract 1-8
Best grade fluid meat extract.. 1-5
Cheapest grade fluid, meat extract 1-6
Commercial meat juice 1-10
Home-made beef broth 1-0
Home-made meat p,nd vegetable
soup y . 1-2
Both the bouillon cubes and the meat
extracts are stimulants and flavoring
agents, but have only a slight food
value and *re miore expensive than
home-made suops.
Wealthy Men of Leeds
Sweep City Streets to
Helv Break Up Strike
LEEDS, England, Dec. 23.—Sixty
prominent professional and business
men, comprising doctors, lawyers, cler
gymen and merchants, acted ae street
sweepers here today, giving a practical
demonstration of the determination of
the citizens of Leeds not to yield to the
employes of the municipal services,
who are »on strike because the city
would not grant what it considers the
men’s inordinate demands.
The streets had not been swept nor
the garbage cans emptied during the
past ten days, so a citizen’s league was
formed of volunteers willing to keep
the public works in operation.
Many of the volunteers drove to the
place of assembly in their own automo
biles at midnight. They were soon
equipped with brooms and shovels and
supplied with garbage trucks and they
worked steadily for six hours cleaning
the streets under a police guard.
Volleys of atones and pieces of metal
thrown by the strikers greeted «the vol
unteers at several points, but they stuck
manfully to their task until the center
of the city had been cleansed.
CHILDREN OF MAVERICK
TO GET OVER $1,000,000
Will Gather From Many Parts
* of World for Holidays
v in Texas
(By Associated Press.)
SAN ANTONIO, Tex., Dec. 26.—Gath
ered from many parts of the world, :
the children of William Maverick, head ;
of a family long prominent in Texas j
history, will hold a reunion here Christ
mas day, when Mr. Maverick will dis
tribute to them more than $1,000,000 in
income bearing property. He will keep
foy himself,-according to the announce
ment of friends, just enough \o main
tain him In comfortable circumstances
for the rest of his life.
The children are William Maverick.
Jr., of Berlin, Germany; Robert Mav
erick, Just returned from a ti^p
around the world; Mrs. Carl Hahn, a
singer, of New York; Mrs. Augustus
Maverick and Lewis Maverick, of San
Antonio.
99
“A Perfect Woman Noblu Planned
To Warn, to Comfort ana Command
Nature never Intended woman to be delicate, ailing, or a sufferer from
"nerves.” Women in middle age complain of "hot flashes." Many
women suffer needlessly from girlhood to womanhood, and from moth
erhood to middle life, with backache, or headache, dizziness, faintness, or
bearing-down sensations. For a permanent relief from these distressing
symptoms nothing is so good as
DR. PIERCE’S
favorite prescription
The "Favorite Prescription”
to known everywhere and for over 40 year* as
the standard remedy for the diaeaset of
women. Your dealer in medicines sells it in
liquid or tablet form; or you can send 90 one-
cent stamps (or a trial box of Dr. Pierce s
Favorite Prescription tablets. Address Dr.
Pierce, Invalids' Hotel, Buffalo. N. Y.
Dr. Pierce’s Pleasant Pellets regulate and Invigorate
stomach, Uver and bowels. Sugar-coated, tiny granules.
as a soothing and strengthening ner
vine—allays and subdues nervous excitability,
irritability, nervous exhaustion, and Other
distressing symptoms commonly attendant
upon functional and organic diseases of the
j feminine organs. It induces refreshing sleep
I and relieves mental anxiety and despondency
Gigantic, Frauds in Weighing
Coal, Charged Against Offi
cials of Big Fuel Company,
Said to Be Offshoot of
"Coal Trust"
Australian Parrots
Are Epicures
They Feast on the Kidneys of
Live Sheep
Parrots are quite numerous In a wild
state in nearly all tropical and sub-trop
ical countries. In Mexico, Cuba and
Central America the parrot Is a com
mon bird. Of all places, however, Aus
tralia seems to be the real parrot coun
try and they are found there In all sizes
anu colors.
Parrots are epicures.
Within the last few years parrots In
Australia have developed a great liking
for sheep’s kidneys. They attack the
living animal and tear out these organs,
leaving the sheep to die. As sheep
raising Is the chief industry of Austra
lia, this Is a serious menace and means
war between man and the parrot.
(Staff Special.)
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 25.—'Have the
people within the past few years paid
half a million dollars for water evap
orated from coal handled by the Western
Fuel company, said to be an offshoot
of the “coal trdst?”
Or, as the government contends, were
they Just plainly cheated out of that
amount by short-weighting connived at
by officials of the corporation?
Either way, the people are out that
much.
How the shortage of- weight occurred
will be decided shortly by a jury sitting
in the case of Uncle Sam versus eight
indicted officials of the Western Fuel
company, now on trial here before Fed
eral Judge Maurice T. Doollng.
The accused company heads are bas
ing their defense on "shrinkage due to
evaporation of water.” The government
charges conspiracy to defraud.
It is charged, the W<estern Fuel com
pany, by manipulation of scales, man
aged to evade payment of the 46-cent
per ton duty demanded on imported
coal.
When the coal was reloaded into
American vessels, the company collect
ed the debate provided in case of sale
to home ships, it is charged.
But the most prolific source of the
alleged Illicit revenue/resulted from the
short-weighting system employed in
selling coal to the government. This,
It Is claimed, amounted to fully $600,-
000, although only $20,000 Is set forth
in the specific indictments upon which
the trials were brought.
Former United States District Attor
ney John f.. McNab under whom the
action against the Western Fuel com
pany was launched, claimed the ahort-
WDICTED POEI OFFICIALS ♦
John L. Howard, president. ♦
Frderick C. Mills, superintend-
- ent. ^
•. E. H. Mayer, weigher.
- 'James B. Smith, millionaire, -*•
- manager and director. »
•- J. D. Schmidt, millionaire, «
- treasurer and director. *.
Robert H. Bruce, millionaire,
- director. .
Sidney V. Smith, director. -*•
Edward J. Smith, weigher and ♦
■ former tax collector of San -*■
- Francisco, who served a term in ♦
- the penitentiary for embezzle- -*
-1 ment.
a(ge since 1906 amoutned to 60,000 tons.
Steamship companies also are said
to have suffered, and it is likely that
they will bring action following the
disposition of the government’s case.
The first information on which the
indictments were finally based, came
from David G. Powers, former superin
tendent of the concern, after his re
lease from prison where he had served
a term for smuggling.
Uncle Sam’s agents swooped down
upon the company’s office and seized
the books from which the documentary
evidence upon which the federal grand
Jury acted was culled.
In addition, the prosecution, con
ducted by Matt I. Sullivan ’and Theo
dore Roche, has many photographs of
scales and apparatus said to have made
possible the alleged dishonest dealing.
One shows how an employe by
placing his foot upon a beam scale
could add a few tons to the recorded
weight of the coal cargo. Others show
partly filled buckets said to have been
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