The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-05-05
CITY HALL DOORS.
Observation-Disclosures" I'm Several De-
partnients Yesterday.

The courthouse basement was a place of
unholy smells yesterday. Two Of the city
officers were plunged into deep sorrow and
thick gloom as a result. The park commits
sioners' room and the office of the Board Of
Safety were both offering what Rudyard
Kipling would term "unsavory interludes."
So far as the park room was concerned the
trouble was of a simple nature, easily un-
derstood and easily abolished. There Is a
little something about a dead rat that is
u~rmistakable, and when Clerk Otis Ham
came down to work in the morning he
shifted the air critically and knew it was a
dead rat, and said so. Oscar Pfumm. the
draughtsman, claims that he was the first
to say 1t was a dead rat. but as Oscar talks
German when undergoing extreme mental
excitement nobody would give him the
credit for making the discovery.
Satisfied as to the origin of the Inter
lude.' the unhappy occupants Of the office
felt that the proper thing would be to locate
the disturber as quickly as possible. Mr..
Phumm, who is also an amateur detective,
argued that the best way to accomplish this
end would be to make a scientific deduction
Of the matter. He therefore drew a map of
the office and attempted by means of the
taken by the rodent in its customary rounds.
But Oscars deductions were slow and de-
liberate. and the atmospheric disorder was
increasing with frightful rapi6ity. In de-
spair Clerk Ham got. down on his. hands
and knees and poked about under tables and
counters and desks with somebody else's
umbrella. while the other gentlemen present
directed the proceedings-each according to
his own ideas, of course-and, withal, ii was
not q digEifed scene; However, the cause
moved. and the minor business Of the day
was then resumed.
In the Board of Safety ONCE the trouble
When a smell is recognizable and compre-
hensible. as in the park office case. there Is
always a feeling of calm and dispassionate
certainty that it can and will be eventually
eliminated. But when an orcor, already ro-
bust and active in its very infancy. assumes
proportions or overpowering magnitude as
il progresses In age-and through IL all re-
mains a transcendental m~ystery-then Is
human endurance taxed to its utmost ca
pacity and human hearts sickened with the
impossibility Of ever penetrating the I'M
known There was simply no explanation
Of that Board Of Safety smell that could
even be suggested. 1t was unlike any other
world.
Secretary Davis was terribly annoyed
over the matter. He spent most OF the day
making half-hour trips to the office of the
Health Board. He finally succeeded I'm rous-
ing the interest Of the health officials and
Clerk Gwin sent a man down to look in"
at the safety office. The man looked in. In
fact. that is all he did do. He said he had
other duties TO perform and left the build
ing. Several other people looked in, too.
But nobody stayed for any noticeable length
Of time. Secretary Fearing. of the mayors
Office. announced toward the end OF the
afternoon that he had a theory. He said
that a pet cat belonging TO a ~storekeeper
across from the courthouse on Delaware
street had been missing for some time. There
IL a deep, dark closet. a sort Of store
room. adjoining the Board OF Safety office.
The closet will probably be examined to-
day. Mr.. Davis quit work early yesterday
evening. He said he was thinking OF APP
plying for his vacation-to take effect at
once.