Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-05-16

at some length TO speak to the audience
in terse way, expressing himself in
wonderfully beautiful language, some of
which conveyed ideas. Every one was
pleased and delighted.
In the midst of the speaking there was
slight noise heard overhead and a boys
leg was seen to suddenly burst through
the ceiling and agitate itself through the
brilliantly lighted atmosphere. The in.
cident attracted great deal of atten
ton and made a success of the entertain.
ment. 1t was heartily enjoyed by ont
and all, with the exception of the boy.
who will have to get another pair Of
trousers, it is thought.
Newark has one wonderful feature.
1t consists of an ancient fertilization and
numerous Indian mounds of uncertain
age. The fertilization must be many
centuries old. as there are trees growing
in the embankment and in the moat
which are several hundred years oSl, nc
doubt. Inside the fortress there is now
a race track, and the whole is used as an
inclosure for fair ground or agricul.
tural exhibit each year.
Some think that this fort is the work
of the Aztecs. OF course no one can tell
accurately, though a great many scien.
tific men come here, look wise and &c
away to write the whole thing up and
settle it for all time. presume l have
just as good a right to my theory as any
one else. am the author of the Aztec
theory. ! have made study of the
Aztec people, and the Montezuma family
is as familiar to me as my own.
My theory is that the Aztecs once
owned and operated the entire country
row known as the United States, but
yielding to the false and wicked Bland.
ishments of free silver they at last were
driven to poverty and shame, and gave
up one after another the different states
called doubtful till at last they were
driven to Mexico and were succeeded by
Pocahontas and Columbus.
The Aztecs obtained good many
good ideas from the Toltecs, some say,
before they went to Mexico, and Others
after. At any rate, they were well ad-
vanced in some of the arts and sciences,
though they were idolatrous and often
sacrificed human beings to their gods.
Here they also used very poor Judgment.
If instead OF offering up their most at
tractive young people, girls especially,
they had used the politicians as far as
they would go, the Aztecs would have
been on deck today no doubt and the
MonteZumas would have been giving
pink teas on Pennsylvania avenue.
1t is estimated that the Aztecs sacri-
feed over twenty thousand people annu.
ally to their gods, Notwithstanding the
fact that these gods had repeatedly
shown their total inability to attend tc
things. History tells nowhere of more
inadequate set of gods than those en-
ployed and paid by the Aztecs. The
Aztec god was also a complete artistic
failure, being excessively plain. He was
also very unsuccessful socially. All that
| he could do successfully was to accept
the bleeding sacrifice of innocent school
children, look pleasant and scare the
farm horses.
The fortress near Newark is only one
| of several peculiar earthworks regard
ing which we have no authentic history.
They may have been erected by the
! AZtecs, the .Toltecs or the Woedtecs.
No man can tell. Only a few have tried
| to do so, and they did not know.
Newark has the most desirable Jail in
the state of Ohio, and possibly in the
| United States. 1t is built of cut stone,
in a modern and artistic manner, with a
| beautiful porch, handsome lawns around
| 1t, and in every way resembles the dwell
| ing of wealthy merchant instead of the
calaboose of city.
Criminals come here for hundreds OF
miles to be incarcerated. Men coptem-
| plating crime try to arrange it so that
the offense may be committed in Newark
and themselves also. 1t is certainly one
of the most neat and attractive jails that
/ have ever seen, and | have made Jail
life close study for years. While in
France visited facsimile Of the old
Bastile, which had been reconstructed
exactly by French architect.
The Bastile was built in 1870 by
Charles V. 1t was the state prison. The
stones of the old Bastile are now used in
paving the streets at the forks of the
road in Paris. called the Place de la
| Bastile, or where the Place runs into one
the Rues. Paris is the greatest town for
Rues that have ever seen.