The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-02-26
GOSSIP Of the World.

| 1OSSlD OF lIfO fFOI10,
Some interest was excited a short time
ago, says the Westminster Gazette. by
Mr.. Allen Upwards statement in a work
| of fiction that diplomatists used black
blotting paper in order that no ingenious
person might read their papers by the
| help Of. a mirror. II was questioned
| whether this was a clever invention or
reality A writer in Notes and queries,
| who boasts of a long diplomatic expert
| ence, has now cleared the matter up. He
states that Lord Kimberly introduced the
use Of black blotting paper into the work
of the India office some time ago But
| this form of paper was soon abandoned,
it being found it did not achieve its end
| as the writing impressed on il left a
gray mark At present diplomstists in
variably use the roller blotter for import
| ant documents. This owing 20 its palimp-
sest character, is quite undecipherable.
A quiet jubilee. says the London Tele-
| graph. has just been celebrated in Vienna
by an Austrian technical professor. DR..
Emanuel Hermann. on the thirtieth an
| niversary OF his invention of the postcard.
! 1t seems that his idea OF an open stamp
ed card was Immediately accepted By the
then Austrian Post Director when first pre-
way TO England, Germany. France, Amer
! lea and Japan. In the first month after
its introduction a million postcards were
printed in Austria. number that has
| since increased 10 100 cor. 900 annually in
that country. DR.. Herman made nothing
out of his idea.
While at vanikora Island. in the South
Seas. says the Melbourne Australian, the
yacht Lady St. Aubyn, belonging 10 Mr..
/ Wildes Browne, which returned to Sidney
/ from cruise among the islands, ascer-
! tanned that the local tribes had condemned
to death a woman for being a sOrceress.
| and causing a big wind and hurricane.
Those on the Lady St Aubyn interceded.
and succeeded in exchanging a fat boar
which was on board for the woman who
was brought on to Sydney in the yacht
A German aristocrat and landowner,
Count Puckler, has published an anti
Semitic pamphlet that is being widely cir
culated in his native province of Silesia
says the Sunday Morning Leader. Ac-
! cOrding to the Count the Jews have
/ their secret friends and tools in all courts,
cabinets and ministries. The thrones of
emperOrs and kings already begin TO totter
| and the time is not far distant when the
Jewish usurper will be proclaimed, and
Cohen l will ascend the throne OF Eu-
rope"
walls is Hirkal Sheriff, or the Veneration OF
the Prophets Mantle. which falls on our
9th of January. On that day the Sultan
IN his capacity of Khalif. or head of
Islam, goes to the Palace OF Topeka pou,
at Seraglo Point. to venerate the sacred
relic. The mantle of the Prophet is in
closed in a large silver box, and over it
are placed fifty shawls of great value.
The Sultan alone has the right to remove
the shawls and see the mantle, but as
yet he has not done il. He merely raises
the ends of the first few and places his
hand there, while the Viziers. ministers
and high state officials deile before him.
On this day he distributes to the faithful
silk handkerchiefs inscribed with verses
from the Koran. This year the ceremony
passed without unusual incident.
During President McKinley's visit 70
Boston last week some mischievous boys
concocted a plan TO give the chief magis-
traBe an old-fashioned New England
snow-baling. They learned that the pres
idential train was to stop at Mount Bow
doin station, and they knew that a few
hearty cheers would bring Mr.. Mckinley
to the back platform of his car, which
was the rear car. Accordingly there as
sembled on an embankment just above
the railway track at Mount Bowdoin a
great number of schoolboys. VINO pro-
ceeded to make and pile up dozens of snow
balls. Station Agent Ryan saw what the
youngsters were up TO. and telephoned for
a patrol wa gon, with officers. AS the pO-
lice station was two miles away, the train
reached Mount Bowdoin before the arri-
val of the policemen. But Mr.. Ryan in
desperation, climbed the embankment and
made a fervid appeal to the boys. To
SNOWFALL the president he declared, would
be to disgrace the whole state of Massa-
chusetts The boys promised to give UP
their frolic. The special doomed in. the
boys cheered. the president came out and
lifted his hat 1t was a thrilling moment.
single flying SNOWFALL would have open
ed up the bOmbardment. but not a flake
of the beautiful was thrown. and the
honor Of Massachusetts, so often in peril,
was saved.
Official cable communication with our
army in Manila costs two dollars per
word, so Uncle Sam has commissioned
General Greedy chief of the signal ser
vice, to prepare a military cipher code
to be used as an adjunct to the ordinary
commercial codes. This special code
will contain about 200 phrases and SEN
fences. each represented by a single word. /
by which il IS estimated the messages /
will be reduced by about three-fourths Of /
the total number Of words transmitted.
The Havana newspaper La Lucna is |
now printed partly in English. and the I
publishers are having a struggle 70 set (
il up There appears TO be no w IN !
its cases, and Ihe expedient Is adopted Of /
using TWO vs. instead. The effect OF \
this is rather picturesque, as, for in
stance. when we find the name OF the Z
Father Of his Country spelled Wash
Ingson. La Lucha advises the American
soldiers not TO pay the newsbOys more
than five cents for the paper. that being
the regular price
Londoners consume 275.0C0.ooo gallons Of
water a year. according 10 the Home
Magazine; they 90 not drink all Of IL. and
what they do drink is not always taken
clear, as they use 3 10000 pounds OF
tea as vel. They do put down -. po.o"9
gallons Of beer, however. as well a. =
~. 90 gallons Of spirits. besides 81 5000
gallons Of mineral waters.
A singular theft was tried by Mr. Besie.
frst-class magistrate. last "Wednesday
Burmans pull out the hairs
Il an elephants tai FOR iaEsmsns max
NJ rings out Of them and other charms
One Nga TUn Lin went into an e.e-
chants she'd az Ahioue ard pulled SIX
\ - c1rr ~ q hull a1enlartfs tai. secret 4