The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1877-08-10
Select Story.
| MYSTERIOUS INVENTION

On a lowering November day of the
year 1875, the well-known proprietor
of the great machine works, the Privy
Councillor B, was seated in his private
Office when the servant announced Wis
itor The door opened, and there en-.
tered a plainly dressed young man OF
about twenty-four.
Have I the honor of addressing the
Privy Councillor BE-" inquired the young
man, with marked South German ae-
ent.
MY name is b"
Il have heard of your extensive busi-
ness dealings know you spend yearly
thousands on experiments in machin-
cry, and have been informed that you
have influence with the Minister of War.
l have, therefore, come to you"
Then B laid aside the Nord Deutsche
Zeitung, fixed his gold eye glasses on the
ridge of his nose, and cast searching
glance at his visitor
Il am,' proceeded the latter, ian in
ventor-even discoverer, if you will 1
have wrested from Nature one of her
greatest secrets, and made discovery
which must completely revolutionize the
world, cause an entire change in our
social life. The consequences of it will
be so far-reaching that they can as yet
hardly be forseen. In brief, / am able
to overcome the law of gravitation."
This preposterous assertion made
Herr B suspect that he had here to deal
with a mailman. He felt uneasy. and
curly said: This may be; but as do
not undertake TO utilize this class of
inventions, ! beg you TO apply else
where"
@Very well,' replied the young man.
with this little finger can lift out of
the water the largest iron-clad in Will
helmshaven. can raise one of Krupp's
monster guns into the air like cork" !"
Il know / know" exclaimed Herr
B, hastily rising and seizing hold of the
bell.
"Stay, just for smother minute, Mr.
Privy Councillor" entreated the visitor
with impressive earnestness and in
tone of the profoundest conviction. 81
am not mad. 1 can easily understand
that you don't believe me; it is perfectly
natural But you shall be convinced by;
me without delay"
Having said these words, he drew
from his vest pockets shining metallic
wire, and approached an iron mass
weighing several tons, which had been
brought to the Office to be tested. Slip
ping his wire under one end of the iron,
he laid another wire, twisted something
like hoop, on the first, and with this
fragile lever lifted the yonderous mass
like feather from the floor.
Were we to say that nerr B was struck
speechless with amazement, we should
still be very far from the actual truth.
He was paralyzed with terror; his eyes
literally protruded from their sockets
he stared, now at the iron suspended in
mid-air, now atthe unknown. When
he had somewhat composed himself, he
exclaimed: "Ah. well, you may certain
ly compete with. Bellachini; but | am
not in mood for such juggling"
: "Bellachini, indeed" repeated the
unknown, and, detaching at the same
instant the loop of wire, the iron mass
dropped with deafening crash, break
board in the Office floor into splinters.
Pardon me- he modestly said; Il
merely wished to convince you that
there is no juggling in this matter
Herr B was now convinced, and
long and earnest conversation ensued.
The pulse of the former beat fervishly;
he perceived that the unknown had not
asserted too much; that his secret in
volved an invention of the most mo
mentous importance, discovery which
promised to work even greater changes
than the introduction of railroad and
the electric telegraph, or of any other of
our boasted modern achievements. The
upshot of the conversation was that a
conference for the next day was agreed
on, and that Herr B would invite to it q
select party of distinguished and infiu
ential people, before whom the unknown
should repeat his experiments.
Accordingly, on the 23d of November,
a select party assembled at Herr BIS
residence. Besides some high officers
of the army and navy, there were in at
tendance an eminent scientist and a
prominent member Of the Imperial
Diet 1t was owing to the latter's per-
sonal influence that the rest had attend
ed, for to him alone the real object Of
the conference had been made known.
His word that it related to discovety
whose advantages should by all means
be secured for the country had sufficed.
In the spacious and lofty apartment
selected for the conference stood rails
ed platform, on which rested the barrel
OF cannon and two ponderous cast-iron
wheels the purpose of which puzzled all
the invited except Herr B and the dep
ATTY. At precisely half past eight the
young man made his appearance, and
as he had persstently refi,sad tn reveaI