Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-09-30
rAEsK rRopnnr w1aerxs.


AFeAt NtAAhtH Oh1HHs
TO TIE Editor Of the New FORK Star
SIN The sensible people Of Canada must
he laughing loudly at the prominence the
American papers IRE giving their weather
prophet Professor Stone Virgins. Never.
thsless it is not q laughing pl,siier TO tinid
or ignorant folks living in Florida anil
other of those places aouth of the 3Otli
parallel Of latitude, who are in such i'm
minant danger from tho tremendous
earthquake which is propheaied for them
on the 10Th of September.
II every ono knew Stone WigginH 90
we'll as /, and what an arrant humbug ho
ia, they wouldn't pay much attention to
his predictions. IL WINS he who literally
| frightened number of Gloucester iisher-
mems wives 10 death in the spring OF
| 1883 by predicting most dreadful storm,
which was TO blow from the North
Atlantic coast and whirl ships into the
| air ns II thy were feathers. The time
came, sure enough, but never whirl,
except in tho brain II the prophet, who
stouily c0ntendod that Il storm had come,
bat had talScn the form Of n Manitobi,
blizzard aud passed, bowling and tearing
its hair, through the Rocky Mountains.
The truth is, my friend Virgins would
/ do anything to secure newspaper para
graph. Erostratus il was Who burned
down the famous temple of Diana al
Ephesns SO that his name might live in
some fashion, but Erostratus was shy,
sensitive creature compared with Virgins,
l have been told by an acquaintance Of
his that he gazed SO hours without wink
ing at the first effusion OF his that ap-
peared in Halifax newspaper, and would
have fallen in state of Nirvana had MOI
his friends shaken him up, and although
somewhat more accustomed to paragraphs
now he grows faintish with vanity every
time his name appears in print.
Permit me to give you an idea of the
mans check. One of the chambers con
nected with the fine library Of tn,
Dominion Parliament is reserved for th,
statues and busts Of great people, such o.
the Queen, Sir John Macdonald, Lore
Dutferin and few other celebrities
Well, one night everybody saw to hi
surprise thnt on the only vacant pedestal
waiting perhaps for Lord Lorne, reposei
the bust Of Mrs. Stone Virgins, with
charming smile on her face. II is q mys
terry to this day who placed II there, ant
the prophet when asked about II was a
much puzzled as others. ''But." he said
'my wife ia literary lady. She ha
written several letters TO the press owe
the signature of Gunilda, and she intend
publishing volume of beautiful poems
1 suppose some appreciatiyo friend
placed the bust whore it 10 against he
/ will"
The wonder to mo is that he sacrifice
} himself even for his wife, for every strin
of his heart is atraining and aching f.
J that glory which consists in newspape
! mention. IL, therefore an earthquab
/ comes along on September 28th, it wi
! be marvellous condolences; but then
3 an odd chimney falls anywhere south {
] | the Both parallel of latitude, ii will |
' enough for Virgins.
l youch for the truth OF this story
0 Virgins belongs to the meteorological
q survey, and how he got there is MS gre
I n mystery ms that OF Mrs. Wiggina bus
r He was going homo one night from
sooinl party, and he was smoking ono
( those fiVe-cent cigars for which Ottawa
2 30 celebrated. Suddenly he stopped nj
/ uttered an exclamation which attracted
a email crowd, including policeman.
r. "What's the matter, MIR. Virgins IL
any one struck you p
l
J. fame and fortune are made. nave Ill
o covered new planet in our iirnnlnont
Il "Where-wh,re ii il Z"
"There there; don't you see it
flaming red, yonder in the porihclit
Il Off But am faint. Bring me winter
a By this Time a pretty large crowd hi
4 collected, hut no one could see the sta
Ie and Virgins was taken home. IL was afte
,. ward discovered that as he raised /
finger in his idiot-prophetic way he Sc
ir the of end of his cigar, bright and fer
'. and in his enthusiasm thought he Il
ii covered n now planet in our system,
in venture to prophesy that some 30
of September, not over remote, will E
" Stone Virgins inhabiting room in
lunRtic asylum.
ht Yours, &C., JOHN O. FLEMING
~ New YORK, Sept. 22d..