Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1874-11-13

practice of skipping in books Of solid instruc-
tiOn. The same observation applies, though in a
less degree, to the reading of poems Sailr-
day Rericr.
Tanned Tanner.
Prom the New Orleans Picayune.
The tricks of Signor Carlo Benedetti, now
exhibiting at the Academy of Music his skill
in swallowing swords, canes and razors. NAV
perhaps recall some curious circumstances in
the career of Mr.. Herman Helmet. an old
resident of this city.
lleimel was an Alsatian shoemaker, who
came over to this country in 1898 or 1899,
and settled in'New Orleans. lie opened a
shoe shop on Roval street, which became in
time quite fashionable. la addition to
shoemaking, Iieimel carried the on business Of
tanning, on a small scale, in imitation of the
father of this country No. >, ulysses 5.
Gant), on which was then usually STYLED
Maine, but which has now become perverted
into Dumaine street There Ileimel lived
comfortably but humbly for quite a number
OF years, doing little business in the tan
ming line, such as converting goat and alliga-
ter hides into leather. Iaunn, the astrin-
gent principle used in tanning and which is
made from bark. sumac, etc, Is, it i, well
known, healthy and pleasant drink, as
inyigorating to the blood is chalyb@te
water. 1t Is not over pleasant to smell or
taste, but one easily comes TO like it after
the first few glasses. So was with IIeimel.
lie had a great fondnes- for this tannin. II
was his sole and only drink. lie thought it
far preferable to his national beer, and de
clared that It was possessed Of every yirture,
and that after getting on a spree with
tannin, one could @ to bed perfectly I'M
harmed, sober and without a headache.
However good tannin may be a a strength
euer and inyigorator, too much of it, like
too mach of ANYTHING else, proved not
healthy. The tannin c1rroiei and burnt
Helmets throat Ike alcohol He soon en-
tirely lost the sense OF taste. Everything
was to him ike dry, taSteles> chips. lie was
man of great. if not voracious, appetite,
and vet his dinner proved to him wholly
taSteless. He ate until he felt satisfied and
fall. 1t was mere physical. not sa-tr0uom-
ical work
Notwithstanding this unpleasant cou-e-
+ quences of his habit Ileimel persisted in
drinking biz half dozen glasses OF tam
min every day. The drinking seemed t.
strengthen and inyigoratc hi, stomach great
/ IT, Tie could indulge in the most indiges-
tible cabbage. and could defy and smile at
all medicines These had no effect upon
/ him. and he would often take a whole box
/ Of pills to show the hcrculean character Of his
system. He seemed literary made Of iron.
and could, ike an ostrich. swallow large
stones. nails. pieces Of iron etc. without
| apparent injury These tricks be frequently
/ performed for the benefit Of his puzzled
neishbors and children.
Il occurred To lleimel that this deiormitv
or anomaly of his organization might become
profitable, If exhibited that he might ap-
pear as a human prodigy. This idea was
further developed and Ileimel left the shCe-
making business for the stage, appearing as
the d" Great American Ostrich" This was
in '6l at the very beginning of the late war-
lie soon found his way to Europe, and ap-
pearei in Vienna and many other European
cities. where he excited considerable atten-
tion and surprise in swallowing nails swords
etc. although his feat was always regarded
rs clever leserlemaiu rather than as gen
uinc phenomenon
After several years Of show life. lleimel
returned TO this city with quite a comtorta-
bic fortune, and established himself at his
old unnery. directly opposite the pumaine-
street station. Iii, cxertions. however, had
apparently undermined and broken him
drown. He was a perfect wreck of his
former self. Originally he was robust
hearty German, somewhat inclined to stout
ness. Now he was weak. thin and eml-
ciated
Psychologists tell Us that the human >ys-
TEN becomes renovated every seven years.
Not only do the blood, the flesh and the
/ sincws become new. but the very bones melt
away to give place to fresh ones. 1t Is this
/ constant renovation that we style life.
/ Heimel, by his tannic exces,e>, had cut of
/ this nutrition. His body, hi, system, was
/ subject to constant wear and tear, without
/ drawing sustenance, nutrition or power TO
I support this wearing away. His organs had
/ become diseased and hardened, or rather
converted into tough leathery hide lie
/ turned to an unhealthy, yellow color. His
| skin became crisp and tough. \ pinch
/ would produce not the least effect, and he
could even have pin inserted into his arm
without any great suffering lleimel CON
tinued to fall away from day to day, until
he became perfect skeleton. parllyzed and
/ weak. lis very nOnes seemed 10 uie away
leaving his arms and legs 50 supple that they
could be bent in any direction or in any
manner. lie was a perfect piece of rough,
sinewy india-rubber As b1neess man he
would have shocked and a>tonished the
world, had sufficient vitality heen left him to
exhibit.
In this very condition he lies now, not yet
dead. His ultimate end Is certain. Doctors
well know that consumpton-not the vul-
gar, ordinary consumption of the lungs, but
a general falling away-will carry him off
Kept alive the last six months by artificial
life. by forcing fresh and reinvigorating
blood into his veins, he viii hardly see this
year out. When he dies he will leave quite
competency to his many children. These,
it is unnecessary to say, are perfectly healthy
and properly formed. They inherit in no
manner the deiormity Of their father, who,
by his strange taste, has tanned himself into
leather, and stopped the course of his life
current.
\ MoUsE SroRY.-One time Bub was
moving a pile of old rails, and under the last
Il