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•g 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 THIS DOLLAR DICTIONARY Here’s a chance for everybody to come into immediate possession of the LATEST and BEST handy dictionary published-- and who is there that does not actually NEED a NEW dictionary? For a short time The Semi-Weekly Journal Presents this book absolutely FREE with each 18 months’ sub scription at $1.00—both OLD and NEW. , All you need to do to get this DOLLAR DICTIONARY is to send us $1.00 for an 18 months’ subscription. -\ r Read this General Description EVERYBODY’S DICTIONARY is a RELIABLE and CON- N VENIENT dictionary of the English language. The highest au thorities have been bronght together to make this book COM PLETE. While based upon the ORIGINAL work of NOAH WEB STER, It is brought up to the PRESENT in every particular. 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