The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1879-04-18

| and agility, like the most Western girls
who are blest with good health and ami
| NAL spirits. She dashed into the hall III
a style that sent a perceptible tremor
throughout the house, and fell into old
Armstrong; arms. a fusilade OF kisses
| followed.
1t was his daughter Alice.
Next morning the usual formalities OF
| introduction were gone through, and
Miss Armstrong became one of the fix
lures of the place. \ few days before
her arrival Professor Croftley had sug-
| gested the idea of living somewhere near
the centre of the city. After Miss
Armstrong entered the house, however,
no further allusion was made to the pro-
posed removal The Professor began to
/ pay Miss Armstrong the most deyout at
/ tentions. and, as a matter of course, she
fell madly in love with young Dean, who
paid her none. 1t is generally conceded
that the most effective way of wooing a
woman is to let some other man do 1t.
| The woman tires of the indefatigable
/ lover and the man who treats her with
indifference is soon preferred. Some
men learn this by experience; Dean dis
/ covered it by accident.
( He presently began to turn his knowl-
edge to excellent account, and bitter
/ rivalry spTang up between the two men.
[ CrOftly soon realized that he was not the
favorite. and never for the life of him
/ o,,,YJ -aaliya Iovr- q ,vpp,aD pp11ld form
! an attachment for man who hadn t
/ the remotest idea of chemistry. He for
got that he was somewhat old, and that
women dislike to cast their bridal wreaths
. upon the snow. He finally determined
to put his rival out of the way, and set
about laying his plans.
After couple of weeks deliberation
J he concluded to murder Dean, and to do
/ it so scientifically that discovery would
/ be next to impossible.
/ One day was i'll his room-being an
occasional viSitor-and observed him
busily engaged in chemical experiments.
+ Said he Did you ever realize that the
conditions which result in congelation
might be produced chemically -
7 I confessed that had never given the
subject much thought.
"Of course you know that sudden
evaporation causes cold ?''
| knew nothing of the kind at the
time. but nodded assent rather than con-
/ fess my ignorance.
4 can produce ice instantaneously. -
l. =
pointing to an electric battery. with
current of say 100 ONES of electricity,
l can accelerate enough evaporation to
freeze instantly 100 gallons of water"
Here the professor took basin of
water and poured i'll small quantity of
coIorless liquid This is ammonia. .
said he But this''-here he added
about as much Of some other Iiquid-.'is
something else
''What is it -
NO one knows but myself. -
[ deemed it impertinent to question
him further. He then attached the
wires of his battery to the water.
When l make the connecting current
the water Will become ice"
I watched, much interested, and he
laid his hand on piece of metal which
was part of the apparatus. and the turn.
ing of which caused the currents to con.
meet. He turned the brass piece. anC
instantly a cloud of Yapor rose from the
surface of the water. Crystals shot
from the sides of the basin with aston
ishing rapidity, and there was a sharp
cracking sound as the water, expanding
in it, caused a strain upon the bash
which pressed upon the sides
with 800 ONES. - continued the Pro
fessor, Il can freeze 500 cubic feet o
water"
| left the house very much impressed
with the discovery made by the Profes
scr, and a few days afterwards learnc,
Of his death. The public considered i
a case of suicide. I made a careful ex
animation of the premises, and came t
different conclusions. 1t was the hant
of Alice Armstrong that killed Profes
sor Croftley
Let us go back q little. After tn
Professor realized what could be don
t, with his new appliance of electricity h
determined to utilize it in the murder o
Dean. lie hit upon the grand idea o
freezing him in the bath.
she will not love him cold, = he said
and began to arrange his ptans Deal
was fond of the bath. He retired a
midnight, and always took bath jus
before. The bathroom of Armstrong
house was an exceptionally good one. l
was situated but short distance from
the suit occupied by the Professor an,
Dean. The tank was of marble. eigh
feet wide. ten feet long and six feet deep
capable Of holding 4S0 cubic feet of wa
ter. Croftley connected the bath witt
his own room by means of wires On
entered the bath by the waste pipe. H
reached this by digging i'll the gardel
under the pretext of planting flowers
The wire ran down the side of the hOuS
and into the ground. 1t was concealed
from observation by lilac bush. Tn
other was connected with the pipe whicl
furnished the water. He bored a hole il
the wall and found the pipe, as he ex
pected, running in the rear of the room
close to the floor He then increased
the jars of his battery, and raised it
strength to 500 ONES.
No suspicion was excited by this, as n