Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1899-06-09
THRILLING ACTS
That Caused Many Strange and Startling
Tragedies.

Tragedies.
San Francisco Call: In a Lancashire
coal mine, a few years ago, a callous
youth viciously pricked pony with
his penknife. The wounded animal
kicked out furiously, overturning and
breaking several safety lamps. The
naked flame fed the foul gases in the
air and created an appalling explosion,
which wrought the death of over 10G
miners. A spark from a truant fire
balloon in the neighborhood of New
York one celebration day drifted
through the open door of a gun powde!
factory and created in a moment a
miniature earthquake, Staying six mer
and wounding several others. An
Italian countess, entering her chamber
one evening with a stout stletto bon
net pin in her hand, stumbled over a
pet dog and fell PROSTATE on the floor,
the perilous pin piercing her heart and
causing instant death. The heart
broken count, suspecting jealous no.
BILE OF the supposed murder, shot him
lowing night the brother Of the MUIR
aered man fatally stabbed the count.
After this triple tragedy the true cause
OF the trouble was revealed. A young
bachelor in London, sanguine of par
tlclpating in the wealth of a certain
country uncle, invited his rich relative
to spend week with him in town.
During dinner one evening the nephew
quite unaware Of the perilous char
acter OF the combination-passed Char
treuse wine and bananas to his uncle,
who partook freely of both, thus pro-
ducing a peculiarly potent poison,
which caused his death. The nephews
deep concern turned to dismay when
he learned later that the absence of
any will shattered his hopes of a for
tune, and his chagrin prompted him to
prematurely end his existence. A
German family, seven in number, lost
their lives by somewhat unique &C
cident. They slept in one large apart
ment, lighted by gas. Before retiring
the father hung his overcoat above the
gas burner. During the night this gar
ment slipped and fell on the tap, turn
ing the gas full on, and so suffocating
the slumbering inmates. A defect in
an axle, so small as to escape the scru-
tiny Of the vigilant platelayers, led to
the most melancholy disaster ever
known in the United States. The
fated train caught fire, then left the
rails and descended a steep declivity.
In this appalling accident more than
200 lives were lost. A trihing but ir-
reparable misunderstanding between
the captain and engineer OF a stately
steamship some years since led to the
loss OF the vessel with 400 passengers
and costly cargo The ship was steer
ing through perilous seas, when the
electric bell sounded "stop'' to the en-
CINE room. From some unexplained
cause the signal was taken for full
speed ahead and was so interpreted
and obeyed, with the result that the
huge vessel struck rock and foun-
dered. A faulty link in huge hoist
ing chain caused one of the direst dis
asters OF its kind that ever occurred in
the north Of England. The chain was
attached to colossal crane and snap
ped at a critical moment, allowed some
enormous iron girders to fall upon a
score OF workmen beneath, twelve OF
whom lost their lives thereby. A pop
ular Polish tenor singer OF operate
celebrity some years since lost his
life by eating a milk scone in which a
careless cook had Internationally
dropped brass nail. The nail caused
cancer. from which death ensued. A
once renowned French actress lost her
reason through trining occurrence.
She was visiting at an ancient chateau
in the vicinity OF Mentone, when
friend challenged her to pass the night
alone in an alleged haunted chamber.
She accepted the challenge. During the
night she called for aid, and an at
tendant found her in state OF pitiful
fright through certain uncanny sounds
she had heard. Finally she developed
a nervous disorder. which eliminated
in insanity. The ghostly visitants were
rats.
There Is only one person you need
to manage, and that is yourself.