The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-11-28

After these professional searchers
come the privateers. Playwrights
haunt the library fer dramatic ideas;
novelists and writer's generally. for
historical data: costumers for informa-
ton on The habiliments of the past. One
young dramatist the author Of a re-
Gently successful historical play, ad-
mitted to the writer that every Incl
dent, character, scenic arrangement
and costume in his drama had been
worked UP" from materials on the
.Astor libraTy's grooming shelves. More
over. he old it all himself, without help
from the agents, and aided only by the
regular library employees.
One of the greatest living authorities
on medical Jurisprudence spends two
days every week in the library, collect
ing facts, evidence and suggestions in
relation to his life'S study. Another
student Of the same type is interested
in toxicology, but he deserves separate
and more extended notice. Musicians
use the library exclusively, and it is
a strange and disagreeable fact that
they are rahaer frequent mutilatOrs of
books. University and high school boys
do a great deal of their studying at
the Astor and LennoX, and many
learned professors look in daily to re
fresh their memories by drafts from
the feunts of classical knowledge. The
genealogical devotee belongs to a
species which increases in number ev-
cry year. Doubtless, the many new So
cieties of the Sons of the Revolution,
Colonial Family associations, and the
like. are responsible for this growth Of
interest in pedigree hunting.
AN EXPERT ON POISONS.
But by far the most interesting Wis
nv fl,v.o.. is1r1
1lnder the head of queer, odd, eccen-
fric'' Take the Psychological student
above alluded to. This is a lawyer who
had at one time an excellent practice
hut became connected with murder
case in which poisoning played a promi-
nent part He consulted some volumes
on the subject, and, as a result, toxi-
,colocv began to fascinate him to the
exclusion of everything else. Now tox-
Zoology is a study which expands as one
6al1-es into its literature. There are
Ioanv wonderful old black letter vol
1,n1as on poisoning, and to these the
1avver-student devoted his attention
Ry constant study his mind has be
oo,oa a. vast storehouse of toxicologi.
raj lore. Such knowledge in the posses
sion Of a criminal might be exception.
alIv DANGEROUS, and it gives one a de
oS1sa5;x creepy sensation to hear thi.
~aaT7nr describe to the last gramm,
eyeSy ingredient Of the celebrated poi
sons of the Borgias and Brinvilliers. HI
Knows exactly how Catherine de Medi
&c noisoned apples and pears. and hov
sb-a managed to make poisons which
aid their deadly work by inhalation
alone. During a celebrated poisoning
100 which started in New York SOM
Sew years ago. this authority gave
.yTeaf amount OF highly important coun
eel to the lawyers for the defense. H
Is very careful to point out that he i
not an agent doing all his researche
for love and not for money. As in tn
aoee of most readers of the queer
class. he has modest competence ,, nee
which permits him to devote his TIM
out being hampered by financial consid
erations.
THE MAN WHO LAUGHS.
Another notable student is the ''litti
nd patent lawyer as the library boy
call him This worthy devotes his Who'll