The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1871-07-14

among mankind, ana lnStanceu hlmsel1
as a striking example of the fate of
those men who, according to all the
rules of right, ought to be near the
top instead of at the foot of the ladder
of fortune But said he, springing to
his feet with impulsive energy, have
now the means at my command OF ris-
ing superior to my fate, or of inflicting
incalculable ills upon the whole human
race
" Looking at him more closely, |
| thought | could detect in his eye the
| CLEAN of madness but | remained ST.
lent and awaited further developments.
But my scrutiny, stolen as it was, had
been detected, and he replied at once to
the expression of my face : No, sir; |
am neither drunk nor a maniac | am
in deep earnest in all that | say; and
] am fully prepared by actual expert
ment, to fully demonstrate, beyond all
doubt, the truth of what | say
For the first time / noticed that he
carried small portmanteau in his hand;
this he placed upon the table, unlocked
it, and took out two or three small vol
umes, pamphlet or two, a small,
square. wide-mouthed bottle, hermetic-
ally sealed.
I" watched him with profound Curl
osity, and took note of his slightest
movements. Having arranged his books
to suit him, and placed the phial in a
conspicuous position, he drew up his
chair closely to my own, and uttered,
in half-hissing tone:
80 | demand one million dollars for
the contents of that bottle; and you
must raise it for me in the city of San
Francisco within one month, or scenes
| too terrible even for the imagination to
every living human being on the face of
the globe.
The tone, the manner, and the alb
surd extravaganza of the demand, eX-
cited faint smile upon my lips,
which he observed, but disdained to
notice.
My mind was fully made up that |
had maniac to deal with, and | pre-
pared to act accordingly. But | ascer-
tanned at once that my inmost thoughts
were read by the remarkable man
before me, and seemed to be antici-
pated by him in advance of their ex
preston.
- Perhaps, said |, Mr.. Summer
field, you would oblige me by inform
ing me fully of the grounds of your
claim and the nature of your dis
covery.'
"' That is the object of my visit, he
replied. i claim to have discovered
the key which unlocks the constituent
gases of water, and frees each from the
embrace of the other, at single touch.
80 You mean to assert rejoined,
that you can make water burn itself
up?
- Nothing more nor less he re-
sponded, except this-to insist upon
the consequences of the secret, if my
! demand be not at once complied with.
80 Now, suppose / fling the contents
of this small phial into the Pacific
Ocean, what would be the result? Dare
you contemplate it for an instant? !
do not assert that the entire surface Of
the sea would instantaneously bubble
up into insuferable flames; no, but
from the nucleus of circle, Of which
this phial would be the center, lurid
radii of flames would gradually shoot
outward, until the blazing circumfer
ence would roll in vast pillows Of fire,
upon the uttermost shores. Not all the
dripping clouds of the deluge could eX-
tinguish it /; nor all the tears of saints
and angels could for an instant check
its progress. Onward and onward it
would sweep, with the steady gait
of destiny, until the continents
would melt with fervent heat, the at
mosphere glare with the ominous con-
hagration, and all living creatures-in
land, and sea, and air-perish in one
universal catastrophe
Then, suddenly starting to his feet,
he drew himself to his full height, and
murmured solemnly, feel like a God
and recognize my fellow men but as
pigmies that ! spurn beneath my feet
At this Parker states that he attempt
ed to reason with Summerfield upon
the absurdity of believing that he held
in his hands power so mighty, at which
the latter retorted with quotations from
the Scripture, IIumbold's Cosmos and
the works of famous astronomical
writers, proving that it was not only
possible for entire planets to be des-
troyed by fire, but that such terrible
events had actually occurred. This an
swer concluded, he handed Parker a
small phial, requesting him to open it
and smell of its contents, the result
being that strong odor Of potassium
was observed. At this Submerged
continued, "Of COURSE" said he, "you
are familiar with the chief characteristic
of that substance. 1t ignites instantly
when brought into contact with water.
Within that little globule of potassium
! have imbedded pill of my own COM
position and discovery. The moment it
is liberated from the potassium it COM
mences the work of decomposing the
fluid on which it floats. The potassium
at once Ignites the liberated oxygen,
and the confagration of this mighty
globe is begun"
90 Yes said l, begun, if you please,
but your little pill soon evaporates or
sinks, or melts in the surrounding seas,
and your conflagration ends just where
it began
wBut,' sneered he, the elementary
substances in that small phial recreate
themselves; they are selfgenerating,