The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-02-09
A HUMAN STORAGE BATTERY.
recuIlaritiss Of "A Resident a. Joplin-How
lie fnrates Mineral.

The Hon Fred ". Mott and Col. O a.
usines ,,bo have lust returned from
visit to Joplin and the southeast, relate %
pocuiiar story Of human phenomenon,
a Mr. McKirstry. who Is astonishing the
natives there. Mckins,ry u feet
inches tall. of somewhat angular and
awkward build. though 1.-THE and muscu.
it His REGULARITY is the wonderful
affinity hc has for the earth and the vast
amount AZ electricity IN his system-he
bcinu in short. sort of as immense hu.
man Lr,dcn lar They say that when he
walks over ihc ground q few hours he
tccomc- thoroughly exhausted and 30
limp ant helpless that be las 10 he as
sisted homo. But he has 10 keep walk
iur. for when hc stands FIRMLY on one
mot Of cr0gnl l0F few seconds he he
comes as if rooted. and has 10 have ono
foot assisted loose when the other can
bee moved. and then. by treadiug up aud
down for "a inmate. the electric current
become broken. in thc course Of which,
however. thc peculiar sparkling incident,
for instance. 10 brushing a black cat 3
hair backward. is developed
i3at what b. causing a sensation there
Is his claim OF being able TO locate min
er9l Most every one il familiar with a
part Of tie walking over the
Ground with a forkcd peach switch. held
horizontally IN front OF the waist, either
extremity grasped in the hand and the
Stem from which the two branches issue
poiltiug nontward A.ckinstry has
adcptpd this plan. and improved on it TO
locate mineral. -Four months ago he
fitted up his simple machine and asserted
his ability. not only 10 tell where mineral
was but lust at what depth II could be
struck and the value Of it, To search
for water be simply takes the peach
switch. in quest Of lead he caps the
knob hv "a forrule Of composition, in
which aluminium is a large factor
20 discover "a zinc deposit this gives
place 10 q large one in which platinum
3redominatcs. 10 is stated that when
ever man has dclyed in the earth al q
point marked by him, mineral has been
found 40 about the depth the witch
had promised Superintendent j. -
sincl. Of the NIroqud NINE so Mr
Mott says, offered the human battery 50
to point out a pocket for him. On tho
other hand Nincu warned the witch
that IN the event OF "a failure he tNlncnl
would kill him. So confident was
NcKinstry in the virtue OF his charm
that he accepted, and going over the
ground stated that zinc would be found
twentv-six feet below the surface at a
given point. Work was begun and the
ehaftisuow cightecnfeet. and Mckinstry
still hangs nonchalantly around. lie
has not ordered coffin 10 date
Mr Mott and the colonel were so i'm
bucd with faith in the potency Of the
trick that they invested on the strength
of what the miners believe nccromancr,
but which thcy, somewhat familiar with
science. account for by the popular phil
osophcrs a0ne-elcciricity Mr. Mott
states that each one Of thCn grasped an
end of the magic stick as it TUNED. thus
experimenting che hold Of the operator,
but that tine attraction was 80 strong
hat it turned, despite their combined
efforts to prevent d. even twi ting the
bari, off Tie branch. Every one IS watch
iue for Tie development Ct Nmril's test
+ lit succeeds they viii bc elated 10y the
confidence that 40 last they have an open
tscsamc 10 the treasure hidden away in
the mbrorraucau rccpsscs If the ctrth.-
ST. Louis Globe-Demociat