The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1871-07-01

| concluded, he handed Parker q small phial re-.
quested him to open and smell OF its contents,
| the result being that strong odor OF potassium
| was observed. At this Summerfield continued
"Of course you are familiar with the chief char.
aoterlstic OF that substance. It ignites instant.
! " when brought into contact with water
| Within that little globule of potassium nave
Embedded pill of my composition and discove.
ry The moment il is liberated from the potas.
SUM, 1t commences the work of dsoomposing the
huid on whish it floats The potassium at once
ignites the liberated oxygen, and the conaagra.
ton OF this mighty globe is begun
80 Yes said /, 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
But, sneered he, the elementary substan-
ces in that small phial recreate themselves; they
are self'generating, and when once fairly under
way, must necessarily sweep onward, until the
waters in all the seas are exhausted
Kissing from my seat I went to the wash
stand In the corner OF the apartment, and draw
ing bowl full of Spring valley water. turned
to Summerfield and remarked. Words are emp.
ty, theories are ideal-but facts are things
81 take you at your word So saying he ap.
preached the bowl, emptied it of nine.tenths of
its contents, and silently dropped the potassium
coated pill into the liquid. The potassium dan.
ced around she edge of the vessel. Tuning, hiss.
ing and blazing, rs it always does, and seemed
| on the point of expiring, when to my astonsh.
ment aud alarm sharp explosion took place.
and in \ second of time the water was bazing
in red lurid column half way up to the cell.
ing.
"'For Gods sake cried, 'exsinguish the
flames or We will set the house on fire.
"'Had dropped the potassium into the bowl
as you prepared it, he quickly remarked, the
bulldog would indeed have been consumed
Lower and lower fell the Pickering flames, paler
and paler grew the blaze, until finally the fire
went out and I rushed to see the effect of the
| combustion.
mot drop of water remained in the vessel
AStonished beyond measure at what had wit.
messed, and terrified almost to insanity, ap.
preached Summerfeld and tremblingly inquir.
ed, TO whom, sir, is this tremendous secret
known
"'To myself alone he responed; and now the
question is, is it worth the money!
ut is entirely unnecessary to relate in detail
| the subsequent events connected with the trans.
action. will only add general statement
| showing the result OF my negotiation. Having
fully satisfied myself that Summerfield actually
held in his hands the fate of the whole world
with its millions of human beings, and by e1per-
iment having tested the combustion of sea wa.
ter, with equal facility with fresh, next deem
ed it my duty to call the attention Of few of
the principle men in San Francisco to the ex-
| treme Importance Of Summerield's discovery.
"a leading banker, bishop, chemist, two
State University professors, physician, Judge
| and two Protestant divines, were selected by me
to witness the experiment on a larger scale
This was done at a small sandhill lake, near the
Sea shore, but separated from it by ridge of
lofty mountains, distant not more than ten miles
| from San Francisco. Every single drop of wa
| ter in the pool was burnt up in less than fifteen
minutes. We next did all we could to pacify
Summerfeld, and endeavored to induce him to
lower his price and bring it within the bounds
of reasonable possibility. But without avail.
He began to grow urgent in his demands
1.-THE subcommittee soon commenced work
amongst the wealthiest citizens of San Francis
co, and by appealing to the terrors of few and
| the sympathies OF ALL succeeded is raising QUE
half the amount in the prescribed period I
shall never forget the woe.begone faces of Cali
fornia street during the month of October The
outside world and the newspapers spoke most
learnedly OF money panic-a pressure in bust
ness, and the distur Dances in the New York gold
room. But to the initiated there was an easier
solution OF the enigma. The pale specter of
death looked down upon them all, and pointed
with his bony finger to the fiery tomb of the
whole race already looming up in the distance
before them. Day after day could see the
| dreadful ravagss of this secret horror, doubly
terrible, since they dare not divulge it, Still,
do all that we could the money could not be ob.
tanned. The day preceding the last one given,
Summerfield was summoned before the commit
tee and full information given to him of the
state of affairs. Obdurate, hard and cruel he
still continued. Finally, a proposition was
started that an attempt should be made to raise
the other half Of the money in tho city Of New
York. To this proposition Summerfeld ult.
mately consented, but with extreme reluctance.
| 1t was agreed in committee that l should ac-
| company him thither, and take with me- in nv
own possession, evidences of the sums subscribed
here. that proper appeal should be made to
the leading capitalists, scholars and clergymen
of that metropolis, and that, when the whole
amount was raised, it should be paid over to
Summerheld and bond taken of him never to
divulge his awful secret to any human being.
with this he seemed to be satisfied, and left
us to prepare for his going the next morning.
Gas soon rs he left the apartment, the bishop
arose, and deprecated the action that had been
taken, and characterized it as childish and ab.
surd. He declared that man was safe on.
moment whilst that diaholical wretch still liv.
ed that the only security for us all was in his
| immediate extirpatou from the tice OF the earth
and that amount Of money could seal his lips
or close his hands. II would be no crime, he
said, to deprive him Of the means TO as.as-nste
tho whole human family, and AS for him-el, h.
was for booming him to immediate death.
with an unanimity that was extraordinary
the entire committee Coincided.
"a great many plans were proposed and re.
jected, having in view the determination OF
Summerfeld. In them all there was the want
of that proper caution which would lull the np
prehenson of an enemy: for should he for an
instant suspect treachery we knew his nature