The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1891-02-28
THE SPIDER CRAB.
THE MAN-EATER OF SPIN
BROWN SPRINGS.
BY A. 4. TOWNSEND.
FROM THE FRENCH By ERCKMANN-
CHATRIAN.

FROM THE FRENCH BY ERoKMANN.
CHATRIAN
The thermal springs of Spinbrown,
situated in the Hundsruck, some few
leagues from Pirmeseus, enjoyed, at one
time, widespread reputation. For
nearly every human i'll their waters
were believed to be panacea, and
crowds fiocked to them from every part
OF Europe. Lodgment was found in
small inns and picturesque cottages at
the bottom of the valley for it was before
the days of immense hotels and health
establishments. Visitors would battle
at the foot of the cascade, which fell in
sheets OF foam from the summit of the
rocks, and would drink each day one or
two cups of the warm mineral water. In
great demand, too, was the local medico,
one DIR. Daniel Haselnoss, who, as he
fused about from one patient to another,
in his large gray wig and snuff colored
suit, was rapidly amassing very COM
| Portable fortune.
To-day, the springs of Spinbrown no
longer figure in the guide-books; the
| village is uninhabited save by few
poor wood-cutters; and, worst of all,
Doctor Haselnoss has gone. The weird
| and tragic causes which led to this
change were related to me the other day
| by the worthy Counselor Bremen of Pr
| meseus.
"You must know, Master Frantz, that
| the Spinbro has it's source i'm sort OF
| cavern about five feet in hight and
| dozen or fifteen broad the water has a
| heat of sixty-seven degrees centigrade,
and is strongly saline. AS for the cav
ern, the exterior of which is thickly COW
| cred with moss, ivy and brambles, its
depth is practically unknown, for the
heated and gaseous air within forbids all
exploration. And yet, strange to say,
from time immemorial birds of all sorts
have been noticed to wing their way
| through the cavern's mouth, tho never
seen to return.
Gin the season of 49,, through some
unexplained cause the stream became
unusually abundant. The bathers, who
! one day were promenading upon the
turf at the foot of the cascade, were sur
prised to see human skeleton, white as
snow, carried down toward them by the
falling water.
You can indge, Master Frantz, of
the general alright; the first thought
was that some dastardly murder had
been committed in years gone by and
that the victims body had been thrown
into the cavern; but here the learned
Doctor Haselnoss stepped in and declared
that, from the very appearance and
weight of the skeleton, it must have lain
buried in the sands for at least three
centuries before being washed down by
the water.
"This argument, plausible as it may
have been, did not prevent great num-
Der of the bathers, disguised with the
idea of having drunk the impregnated
water, from leaving the place that very
day; only the most confirmed invalids
remaining. But the cavern still con-
tinued to disgorge its CHASTITY contents ;
the stream brought down veritable
ossary, skeletons Of every sort OF animal
of birds, reptiles and four-footed beasts,
the sight OF which was horrible.
''The doctor went to the length OF issu-
ing a pamphlet proving beyond doubt
|
diluvian age, were the fossilized accu.
mutations OF thousands of years, and, sc
far as defiling the water was concerned
might be looked upon as SO many stones
But hardly had his specious theories had
time to re- assure the remnant of his pa.
tients, when one fine morning the corpse
of a fox followed by that of a hawk witt
it's plumage intact, came tumbling down
the waterfall.
$50 much for the antediluvian theory
Before week was over not a visitor re
NAMED save one, an Englishman named
Sir Thomas Hawerburch, equity in hanC
and foot, and who would willingly have
drunk the most nauseous compound il
the hope of driving out his hereditary
J complaint He scoffed at those who
ran away, and expressed his intention
OF spending the whole winter at Spin
brown.
'Now must tell you," said Counselo
Bremen, "t that i've or six years before
the Revolution of 1899, young docto
belonging to Pirmeseus, and named
Christian Weber, had emigrated to tn
colony of San Domingo, in the hope Q
making his fortune. Fortune at first fav
ored him, and he had amassed som
hundred thousand livres, when the Negr
revolt broke out.
q need not recall to you the frightfu
atrocities which our unfortunate country
men at Hayti underwent. Dr.Weber, b
:, rare good luck, escaped the massacre
and saved a portion OF his fortune
Landing in South America, he sper
some time in French Guaiana, and, i
1901, returned to Pirmeseus, and estat
, lished himself at Spinbrown, taking u
the practice and position OF Doctc
Hasalnoss, who was now most willing
retire.
christian Weber brought with hi
an old negress named Agatha, {;
from attractive creature so far as lool
were concerned with her broad fiat nos
hideously thick lips, and head wrappe
- in thick folds OF gaudily coored shaw
- As earrings she wore massive rings
gold, which reached almost to h
shoulders, and for many league arour
Hundsruck the mountaineers and pea
ants flocked to cape and stare at her.
AS for the doctor, he was tall, tn
!. man, invariably dressed in an old bl
" swallow-tailed coat and deer-sk
O brooches with a hat of some soft stra'