Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1874-12-09
WHOLE NO. 1888

fog and smoke, thick and black. !
followed him, across the Haymarket,
across Leicester square-it was eleven
o'clock-and through a dark and mar.
row alley toward St. Martins Lane. I
could have done it there but others were
by, and | shrunk back into the gloom.
Through st. Martins Lane to the
Strand, down the Stand to the turning
to Waterloo Bridge, still l followed
him. saw he was going to cross the
bridge on foot. | crossed the street
and got ahead OF him, and, in the
middle of the bridge, l hid myself be-
hind the parapet. BY and by my man
came along, slowly walking, his hands
behind him, and his eyes bent upon
the ground When near me"he paus,
ed, and looked toward St. Pauls
whose huge bulk loomed up still
huger as the moonlight tried to strug-
gle through the fog. l vas near
enough to him. He said : %, mighty
monument, the pride and glory of an
empire, thy renown is gone forever
All l see around me, though the work
of centuries, is but the amusement of
a child, the labor of a day. How
powerful am III I stole up be.
hind him, without noise-in future
ages my name shall be --,-,
my stiletto fell between his shoulders,
and he dropped like lamb. His
pockets yielded up coil of wire and
bundle of papers, and his body went
over into the river. All | knew
how to do it. l had done if often be-
fore at Ferraa, on the Po.
The secret was mine. | was frantic
with excitement. l hurried home TO
my apartments, doublelocked the
door, turned up the lamp and examin-
ed my prize. 1t was the wire-the
identical wire-which had swung a
cannon in the air, not two hours be-
fore. was impatient to test its
powers. | seized an iron poker from
the hearth, wrapped the wire around
it, poised it aloft, let 60, and it fell
Gathering upon the floor. Again
tried, and again it fell. tried differ
ent articles. l wound the wire in
every imaginable shape, and still with
the same result. Morning found me
haggard and exhausted with my labor
and unsuccessful. Business at the
Office prevented further attempts until
evening. ] worked fruitlessly until
midnight, when suddenly I thought
of the papers l had also seized. Fool
that was, not to have thought of
them before. They undoubtedly con-
tanned an explanation Of the secret
1 tore them open with eager fingers.
All were blank except one, and it con-
tanned the following :--Knowing the
uncertainty of life and the dangers of
travel, I have on this day (July 7,
1860 placed in the vaults Of = rell-
able clearinghouse in the city of -
sealed packet, containing the details
and explanation Of the means by
which the laws of gravitation are
rendered imperative. In case of my
death or failure to return, the officers
of said bank have explicit instructions
to open said packet on May l, 1875,
and spread the facts therein contained
to the world. My knowledge is at
present confined 10 myself, but will not
long continue so, as shall soon pro-
ceed to Europe, to impart my informa-
ton to the most renowned scientific
men in the world. My only object in
making the bank a depositary is to
provide against accident, and secure
to the world, beyond all peradventure,
the benefits of this mighty secret
There was no name or signature
After this, I labored in vain to dis
cover the secret workings of the wire
uutil at last il occurred to me that the
stranger had said at St. George
Hall that the wire itself bad no power
but was only the means of commun
eating power. Infuriated to the las
degree threw the coil which had cos
me so much misery, anxiety and snf
pense, into the Thames one nigh
where it could tell no tales. Whe
I am dead, the company who assemb
bled at ST. Georges Hall on that even
full night, may be requested to cea1
their painful wonderings at the failu
OF the mysterious stranger to retur
The Thames received his body near
eight years ago." .,.s..
This finishes the case at present.
But in what clearinghouse is the
valuable packet of papers deposit,