The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-04-27

Efom Our Olvn Correspondent


In the Confessional.
The reader of these pages will probably re-
member that Charles Dickens, in his novel of
''David Copperaeld, in sketcbing the character
of page whom that hero was weak enough to
make part of his domestic establishment, takes
occasion to remark that he was filed with sudden
fits of confession, each one more free and open
than the last and in the course of which he
would own up to every thing that he had done
wrong, or had intended to do. Some such prin-
ciple as this seems to have guided the Mysterious
Boy who a couple of weeks ago disappeared
from the Office of his employers in company of a
check for $780, payable at sight. The said boyis
Bennett by name, and last February reached the
mature age of sixteen He has already made three
separate confessions. The first 1 have already
acquainted you with. 1t is that he was accosted
by a strange man, who mopped his face with a
saturated sponge; that Bennett was conveyed In
a state of Inconsistencies to an obscure den;
that he was drugged for ten consecutive days;
and that at the end of that time he found him
self penniless in Washington Park, whittier he
had been mysteriously conveyed This sounded
romantic enough for dime novel, and was confess
sion No. l. No. was to the effect that after draw
ing the check he bought himself some clothing,
purchased ticket for Boston, and went to that
city and had good but unholy time for several
days, returning home last Saturday night.
Confession No. 8 extends the trip not
only as far east as Boston, but as
far west as Chicago, and winds up with
a Green-street bagnio previous to his return
home. Number three is probably nearest the
truth, but probably numbers four five, and six
will come nearer yet, until the bulls-eye shall
be hit One of the effects of Benefits absence
was to kill off benevolent gentleman who had
taken fancy to him and adopted him. In addi-
tion to his other trouble this poor man grieved
so hopelessy over the mysterious absence of
his protege that it is probable his death was
caused almost as much by a broken heart as
anything else.
A One-strins veIocipedestriau.
Mr.. August Siegrist, Jr., is performing a
very remarkable feat at the Bowery. 1t Gcon-
sists in riding veloeipede upon a single wire
from the back of the stage across the parquette
to the second tier of boxes, as well as returning
He performs this feat very neatly and fearlessly,
and this is more than can be said of most of the
recent entertainments in that line at this forlorn
establishment.
Soapstone Lungs.
In one of the suburbs of New York man has
just died who possessed the remarkable faculty
of breathing through pair of lungs which ap-
peared to be fashioned out of a material resem-
bling soapstone. Two or three days ago he in
terfered between two boys who were fighting.
The father of one of them in return came out
and struck him a severe blow on the head. The
next day the man who was struck died. To de-
ternine the cause q post-mortens examination
was made, and it was discovered that through
the process of disease his lungs had been entirely
transformed into substance exactly similar to
soapstone. AS q natural consequence the man
who hit him on the head was exonerated, and
ha aOaDstOna WAS hrouvht in puilty
Taking Possession.
Two evenings ago lady bearing evidences of
Irish descent in her accent and general appear
ance rang the bell of quietly-handsome resi-
dence in one of the NEST respectable streets of
the city, and inquired If the gentleman of the
house was home. The door happened to be
opened, as luck would have it, by the lady of
the house, who appears to have had her own
reasons for replying that he was not. In that
particular house, however, the Salle-a-manqer,
instead of being downstairs, happened to be
upon the parlor floor and the lady from Erin,
rapidly slipping past the one who had opened
the door, darted into the dining-room, where, to
her qualification, but not to her surprise, the
master of the house sat quietly slipping his tea,
and eating his bread and butter and currant
jelly. The lady of the house, leaving her sta
ton at the front door and following the strange
visitor into the dining-room, of course q denoue-
,ne,t was improvised. The gentleman dropped
his currant-jelly sandwich and gazed at the
visitor in monosylabic horror. "Jane!" was all
he was able to exclaim.
''What means this, Willyum ?" interrogated
the lady of the house, laying upon his shoulder,
with grasp of iron, those same fingers which
had cut and spread the bread-and-butter slices.
'It means, ma'am," said Jane, 'that this man
is my husband; that he married me six years
ago in Ould Oireand, and that for five years I've
never set eyes upon him."
Before the sentence was completed "Willyum"
had started up, seized his hat from the rack in
the hall, and fed from the house, and the two
wives were left alone. The precise terRs in
which the interview was conducted will of
course never be known, but certain 1t is that
she whom we have mentioned as the lady of the
house followed "Willyum" that self-same night,
and "Jane" remained in triumphant possession.
Not only that; it has since been intimated that
she intends selling everything of value that the
place contains, and making off with the pro-
ceeds The nine points of law represented in
possession are in her favor ALI BABA.
n