The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1889-12-04
THE KISS OF DEATH.

Ihere IS nothing so impossible that
a navelist can't lead story up to it.
said Prof. Boyesen of Columbia col.
lege as he sat in a group of friends at
the Authors club.
That's so" said Edgar Saltus, ssbut
I've found that the best schemes for
odd fiction are prostrated by the neces-
sary death of the principals without
disclosing the material for a climax" ="
81 know what you mean," said Edi-
tor Glider of the Century Magazine,
land 1 wonder why some of you gen.
tlemen don't extend romance beyond
death-say by means of spiritualistic
communication from the actors. Now
you, Prof. Smith, you're a scientist,
why don't you do it?"
The gentleman thus addressed, says
a New York letter to the Cincinnati
Enquirer, was Prof. Braiuard Garner
Smith of Cornell university.
"And have the start of it in mind
now," Prof. Smith replied. "Once,
when was in journalism, had oc-
casion to go over a pile of old Liver
pool newspapers, and thus came upon
remarkable paragraph in the ship
news. Translated out of the language
of commerce it was to the effect that
the good ship Empress, just arrived
from Australia, reported that while
rounding the Cape of Good Hope she
aSId- boon -d1is=ea- south-rerd for out Of
her course by storm, and away down
in the southern Atlantic had sighted a
vessel drifting aimlessly about. The
first mate boarded her, and, returning,
reported that the derelict was the ship
Albatross. That she had been aban-
doned was plain, for all the boats were
gone, and SO were the log and the
ships instruments. On the deck close
by the companion hatch lay two bodies,
or rather skeletons, clad in weather.
rotted garments that showed them to
have been man aud woman. These
bodies were headless, but the heads
were nowhere to be found on the de-
serted deck. The mate found on the
cabin table an open book, with writing
on it's pages. A pen lay ON the table
and small inkstand, in which the ink
had evidently long since dried. The
book was evidently journal OF diary,
SO the mate reported, and he put it In
his pocket; meaning to carry it aboard
the Empress, but when he was getting
down into his boat the book slipped
from his pocket, dropped into the
woter, and saAlt=-4s A4satfess- was
badly waterlogged and he thought
could not have foated much longer.
To this report the editor of the paper
added note saying that the readers
would all doubtless remember that the
Albatross had sailed from Liverpool
several years before, bound for Austria
liza, and it was thought to have gone
down with all on board, as no news of
her had since been received. That was
the substance of the remarkable para
graph. What was almost as remarka-
BILE to me, a newspaper man, was that
the Liverpool paper had evidently
made no effort to learn the owners
name of the Albatross, the name of her
captain and crew, or whether or not
she carried any passengers. care
fully searched the files to see if there
was any further reference to the case.
There was none. After the manner of
his kind, the editor of the paper had,
SO it seemed, taken it for granted that
his intelligent readers would remember
all the particulars they wanted to
know.
"a few weeks after that / went into
northern Vermont to report the Ben
ton murder trial, which was attracting
much more than local attention. was
pleased to find that the prosecuting at
torney was an old classmate of mine,
but not pleased to find that he had be-
come spiritualist | mentioned the
headless bodies to him, and, as joke,
asked him to cOnjure up the two spir-
its in a seance, so as to solve the mys-
terry. Well, we tried TO-"
''And he failed, of course" interpos-
ed Edgar Fawcett.
A quiZZical expression came into
Prof. Smiths face and he said:
"Oh, no; we got the whole story
through medium. The bodies were
those of Arthur Hartley and Helen
and he looked defantly
around the circle for a contradiction.
1T was Hartley whose communication
we got through the Vermont medium,
and this is what he said:
..'Helen and were passengers on
board the Albatross. My Uncle John
promised me fortune. He was conf
dent that an explosive of his invention
would work such wonders in Austria
liam mines that within ten years we
could go back to England rich beyond
the dreams of avarice. One day Uncle
John got into hot discussion with
Capt. Raymond about the efficacy of
the wonderful explosive compound.
The captain seemed doubtful. Uncle
John was for the instant angry.
'''''rll show you, them" he said,
and he rushed into the cabin where
his boxes were stored and came out
shortly with two tin cans, each holding
something less than a pint. He un-
screwed the top of one, disclosing a
brownish powder. Take care!' said
the captain. who seemed needlessly
cautious and almost fearful.
"'''Why, thought you said it was
useless" said Uncle John, with
laugh; land yet you are afraid of it.
Look here" He lighted match and
held it close to the powder. A dark
smoke arose that instantly extinguish-
ed the little flame and foated off, leav-
ing q queer smell behind. That was
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