New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-02-10
FYTT HIGGINS,

EXIT HIGGINS.
The momentous day has passed which was to
decide whether this planet or Virgins was to
be blown into space-and Virgins has gone
We shall look upon him no more as prophet,
but as a convicted fraud. lie himself accepted
the issue, and agreed to abide by the result.
When we remarked a few days ago that under
his system he must either be infalllOle or he
must be a fraud, and that if he did not get the
storm he predicted for yesterday there would
be no occasion for anxiety about his promised
planet-shaker In March, he came forward like a
little man and said our position was rlght-
eous one and he would accept the test pro-
posed. Our confidence in him was slightly
shaken by certain premonitory symptoms OF the
fraud which has since been estat llshed. lie
was continually charging his storm area. In
the original prediction he said: "A very severe
storm will strike the Atlantic coast on FeO-
ruary o. He first heaged on this by pre-
tending that he SAID q avery severe stern
would pass over the North American con-
tinent on that day; and subsequently, in an
inspired dispatch from Ottawa, no longer ago
than Wednesday night, he said he was sure OF
his storm for yesterday, and tnat it would be
the severest known on this side the At
lantic for years He spread his net first
along a coast, then around whole continent
and finally around the whole Western heml-
sphere. And he didn't catch a storm even then
That is the end Of Virgins, but we are by no
means sure that he will consent to subsde with
out struggle. He may attempt to save HIM
self by pointing to the second edition OF his
prediction, in which the expression "ovcr the
North American continent occurs, and may
say that yesterdays storm did pass orer the
continent, but at such al altitude that 1t didn't
hit it aU all. This would be like Virgins. He
is an astronomical prophet and deals in high
FLYERS exclusively. Besides, he has the whole
universe on his hands, and is liable to con-
fusion. Yesterdays storm may have merely
slipped away from him at 4 critical moment
and while we were watching Tor it here may
have been giving some other planet shaking
These and dozen other equally plausible ex-
cuscs for his failure will undoubtedly occur to
Virgins but they will do HIM no good. He
predicted a furious storm, and 1t did not come!
lie said if 1t did not come he would be Justly
set down rs n fraud and he will be taken at MS
word. We are sorry to lose him. There have
been many frauds of his peculiar species before
him. but none more picturesque or more enter
tanning. 10 was rs portcntous and a lmid rs
one of lis own hurricanes, and just about as
full of wind. He has made more noise than any
of his storms and II they didn't come to time,
lie has come to judgment, which Is fully rs sat
isfactory.
Naturally there was much rejoicing yesterday
over the prophets downfall. Men felt that the
shadow of n great peril had been lifted. This
planet has its faults, but few of its inhabitants
could contemplate with cquanimity the posi-
biiity of its being first violently shaken and
then slung out into space like football with
hole in il. especially rs they would feel obliged
to 20 with it. When all danger of such an
event was dissipatcd 10y the bright skies and
serene atmosphere of yesterday, the joy Of the
people found vent in hilarious, and, in some in
stances, ribald remarks concerning the gifted
but unlucky Virgins The Signal Service
officers who rely upon slowgoinE scientific
methods, rather than the movements of heav-
emily bodies, for their representations, were
especially exultaut. One of them remarked
that it was lucky for Virgins that lie had
" stakcd nothing more valuable than his rcpu-
tation as n prophet" on the prediction, and
pointed TO dispatches which showed that there
was no storm of any size on any portion OF thc
Western hemisphere which Virgins could
pin a claim to. Another observed that Wig
" gins had watzcd into dim obscurity with
" Vennor and De Yoe,n and third summed up
the case tcrscly by saying Virgins is left
Early in the afternoon We received the follow
ing ubilatng and slightly hippant dispatch:
To IN, Edftor OF me TrfBUuc.
SIR: Tcn Virgins put down his umbrella and take
on bis oyer-hoes The past meridian all the sable
cloud, are In cxl, and the elements are innocent OF
threats. Garry the news to Virgins!
a, pLUo,jeIDbia Feb o. STOCK EXCHANGE
And so Virgins passes from the stage. He
came on with roaring Of cyclones. claShlng
of thunder, and the vibrations OF many earth
quales. He goes of under n sunny sky, amid
nothing more terrible than the laughter OF
continent In other words, no came in disguised
as lion. and went ont uDdisguised as an-wel
without the lions skin. OF course he will have
successors and imitators, but it will be long
time before we behold his equal.
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RED CLOUDS ERR4ND.
Red Cloud has returned to Washington to