Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1896-07-11

try-editors who cared TO look about
them and ind out what their country
men were doing DIR. Finch was one
OF the greatest men this country ever
produced"
Yes: there are number OF US.
What did the doctor do.s
Many things. He discovered the y
rays ten years ago. Ii Is fifteen years
since | made the acquaintance of DIR.
Finch. and for that length OF time
have been trying 10 get the papers 10
understand that this remarkable man
lived among us. He had. fortunately.
a small income and so did not need TO
practice. nor make money out of his
inventions. He lived In an old four
teen-roomed house set well hack in
walled garden. an ideal residence for
scientific research. He occupied only
few of the rooms. but had apparatus
stored in many of them. A man as
silent and mysterious as himself was
his only servant, and this man as
sisted Aim in many of his experiments,
occupyin ing his odd time in cooking the
scanty meals that kept them both
alive. | suppose l was the only other
person allowed in that ancient house.
The doctor welcomed me at first be-
cause, as you can see. was not
laxative person and also because
was an expert photographer and so
was enabled to assist him sometimes
where photography was needed. In
/ credible as it may appear. the doctor,
although undoubtedly the foremost dis
I coyerer of this or any orher age. could
| never master the simple art Of pho
tography.'
/ II can sympathize with him in that.
! have been photographing of and on
for ten years and my friends say my
pictures are worse than Roentgen's'
There was an arched cellar under
this ancient house that was as black
as midnight. In this cellar we did our
first ph0tographing with the y rays
something like eleven years ago. I
shall never forget the thrill of horror
that went through us when we deyel-
Oped the first negative He merely
I wanted a picture of one of the stone
walls TO see how the rays acted When
| developed the plate | was amazed TO
see the stones come out like blocks of
crystal and behind them skeleton of
some one who had evidently been
walled in there. but whether he was
dead or alive when this was done of
course we could not say
Il Pardon me. but I am perhaps not
so ignorant as | look Allow me to tell
you that Won apparently completely
misunderstood how the Y rays are APP
| piled. You don't rake real photographs
with them, but merely shadow pie
lures. You place your hand over a
sensitized plate in the dark. turn on
the y rays and the shadows Of the
X-opaque bones, IL may so state the
case, show ON the film when il is after
ward developed You don't use a cam
era at all. Don't think I am doubling
your story in the least. I am merely
stating facts"
The stranger looked at me with with
eriDg contempt in his glance. AT last
he spoke again.
You are referring of course. TO the
Roenfgen rays OF the present ill-con-
structed age. | was speaking of the
Finch rays. which rendered the ex-
pertinent ! tell you OF possible. DIR.
Finch had discovered the rays as they
are at present known something like
six years before the time | mentioned.
They We're an old thing with us then.
These rays which made the solid stone
like crystal and showed the skeleton
behind them were the Y rays improved
by DIR. Finch. He was not the man
TO be satisfied by rays that would
merely show the bones of the living
hand in the way you mention. We
were past that stage long before
Il see. Go on.
| with the help Of the silent servant
we. after much labor, got out the stones
from the wall and. sure eon0ugh.
there was the skeleton. The bones
came apart as we pulled them out. but
tue doctor set them together again on
the floor. and we stood looking down al
them while the skull grinned ND at MS.
The doctor. who seldom spoke, but al
ways said something worth remember
ing when he did. remarked, I'D give n
penny and half to know what went
wrong with this chap The same
thought had occurred to me. but [
could not have given expression to IL
in that terse way. The skeleton get
the doctor n-thinking. and lie would sit
for hours looking at II, and moi know
ing exactly what to make Of it,
Why didn't he call I'm the coroner,
have IN inquest and find OUT
! Il knew something great would come
OF his thinking. and ii did Next time
called OH him he slapped me on tile
shoulder and said: i have Just con.
stfutush Vibrating machine that Will
! reverse the y rays so want you to
come over at midnight and do some
: photographing.' suppose yon know
that all rays are merely vibrations In
: the ether flowing In one direction
Well the doctor had invented a ma.
chine that turned the vibrations. and
made them tumble back over each 9th
!, er and flow the other way. Do you IN
derstand what ! meanT'
NO; you are beyond me. but dom
be discouraged. Drive on
!, You haven't much of an intellect
One doesn't need the Y rays 10 Ia
able to see that Still, I would liL,
you 10 follow me. for all the rest wo,Ilt
be plain to you II you can comprehend
tie first steps. so, don't be afraid I,
!. ask questions Is anything isn't quit,
e cIeas"
go ON. What jid you do with tn,
bonesy
''Whcr, ] reached the cellar at mid
night found the doctor had wired tn,
J. bones aud had hung the skeleton com
plete from nail in the wall The re
yerxiuR machine was M uUcrlx IA q.