The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1891-01-30
VOL. .XXXVI-NO. 5.
Houdin,s Domestic Contrivances.

Houdin acquired a comfortable COM
petence by the exercise of his art, and he
built handsome villa at st. Gervais,
near Blois. When he had retired from
business he amused himself by introduce
ing various curious inventions into his
place and the grounds attached to it.
The garden gate was situated some 400
yards from the house. A visitor had
only to raise diminutive brass knocker
and let it fall upon the forehead Of fam
tastic face-making but a faint sound
when large bell was set in motion in
the villa.
automatically, the plate bearing the
name Robert Houdin" disappeared.
and another took its place on which was
engraved the word "Entrez." When
the postman delivered the letters he had
brought he was instructed to drop them
through slit in the gate into the recep-
tacle provided for this purpose. The
box, directly this was done, started Of
its own accord on its journey to the
front door of the house by means of a
miniature elevated railway.
Houdin invented, too, an ingenious
continuance by which, while lying in
bed, he could feed his horse in stable
fifty yards from the villa, for on touch
ing small button there was put in mo-
ton an apparatus that caused the exact
portion of oats required for the animals
meal to fall into the manger from the
granary above. Byanother curious piece
of mechanism little bench that stood
beside ravine in a remote part Of the
grounds was so constructed that imme-
diately any person sat down upon it the
machine automatically traversed mar
row bridge that spanned the gorge, and
having deposited the occupant on the
other side the bench returned to its orig
inal position. Chambers Journal.
Sweet Vengeance.
A good joke is told upon two st. Cloud
gentlemen, both of whom are well
known young men. One of them is
married man. The other day two young
ladies from, well, it might have been
Minneapolis, arrived on visit to his
wife. Soon after their arrival the two
gentlemen conceived q diabolical idea
A mouse was captured and tied between
the bed clothes in the apartment occu-
pied by the visitors shortly before they
retired. The reporters informant re-
Trained from giving the tragic details Of
the finding of the imprisoned animal,
and it must suffice to say that it was
a-w-f-u-l! There was no peaceful slum-
Der for the visitors that night, and until
dawn was spent by the young ladies in
celebrating upon how to ayenge the
above practical joke. They succeeded
most admirably.
Last night the two gentlemen, who
occupied the same room, retired as usual
Occasionally theywould remember some
thing about the mouse and then q roar
Of laughter would be heard. But sud-
denly everything grew still. Then there
were some remarks that sounded like
"cuss words" and suddenly prolonged
snufing noise, and then the anxious
listeners knew that all was over, or
rather under the bed. It is explained
that when the two young men proceeded
to don what is commonly designated as
might dress" no ingress or egress
could be discovered. They were sealed
Theoretically sealed. The crash was
caused by the fragile form of q man
falling to the floor through sheet, which
was mistaingly taken for a mattress.
The gentleman slept upon the foor.-St.
Cloud Times.