Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1874-12-09

hundreds of feet under ground with
pick and shovel for my daily bread
| got tired Of it ; | swore off. hold
in my possession what will make me
independent for life, besides confer
ring inestimable benefits upon my
fellow-men, and I intend to use it so
far. Selfshness indeed What did
Morse or Fulton make from their in
veptions, except what was given them
almost as a charity after they let their
knowledge go out Of their hands 3
No charity for me. I hold my dis
covery alone, and l will part with it
only on my own terms. You ask me
what I demand for it. want $5,.
100000"
"$5,o0O,oOO is rather large sum-"
Professor T ventured to remark.
"a large sum. Have you taken
into consideration what this discovery
is destined to accomplish ? Why, |
tell you, it will revolutionize the
world. Take the dock-yards Of Great
Britain alone. What, think you, will
be the saving in year, when every
object, from the greatest to the small
est, can be moved to any distance
without expense? How long will it
take to build your largest edifces,
when your blocks of marble weigh
nothing? O, gentlemen, when you
have considered this suject as I have
done, you will stand overpowered
with the magnitude Of the results that
are 70 follow. Think of its effects
upon means of transportation. When
there is no weight to carry, may not
even the air be navigated p
"Do you object to informing us how
you happened to discover this mighty
and mysterious secret of nature"
"Mysterious ! why it is so simple
that any child can understand it. I
stumbled upon it. Since I have dis
covered it, wonder that it is not
found out a thousand times every day
But, gentlemen, are you aware that !
doubt whether I am really pioneer
in this field? There are books, writ
ten thousands Of years ago, which |
read when boy, that have led me to
believe that this is one of the lost arts,
though it was known perhaps only to
a favored few. feel sure-very sure
that the simple law by which the at
traction Of gravitation is suspended
was known in ancient Peru, Arabia,
and perhaps in Egypt also, and went
down into oblivion with other lost
arts, in some general catastrophe.-
The same law I rediscovered while
working in silver mine, 1000 feet
under ground, and my knowledge /
am ready to communicate, under the
conditions that I have named"
"But should you die in the mean
time, would not your discovery be
again lost and the world be deprived
of its benefits p
30, not at all. | have taken care
of that. Whether l live or die, or
whatever may happen to me, within
ten years from the present time the
world will be fully informed upon this
subject"
After some further consultation, a
select committee was appointed, to
meet in three days, to fully investigate
the secret and take some action upon
the proposition of the stranger, who,
after reminding all present of their
promise of secrecy, departed-and
was never seen again.
Several months ago a distinguished
gentleman, resident of a great
\merican city, received the following
communication from a prominent
solicitor in London
"No-, OLD BROAD STREET
"London, September -, 1873.
o. -, ESQ.,:
"Dear Sir. A short time since an Italian,
who was the confidential clerk of one of my
much esteemed clients-Signor Suzzini of