Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1901-07-02
INGENUITY WASTED WASTED.
An Extraordinary Electrical Genius
Who Applied Himself to Trivial
Inventions,


Recently there died in Belgium a
man, Johannes Schilven, who, had his
energies been only diverted into their
proper sphere, would have been hailed
as a genius of very high order, AS
it is, his fame has been narrowed |
to only the few who happened to live |
in his vicinity, says the Cincinnati En- |
quirer.
The man shome was gloomy house, |
surrounded by grounds that mad once
been well kept. Solitude was all he
cared for-solitude so that he could
work out the strange ideas that filled
! his brain. TO obtain peace he would
indulge in all manner of the strungest
whims.
For instance, he was wonderfully
skilled electrician. The neighborhood
was infested with half-st&rved eats,
which naturally found a happy hunt
ing ground in the uncarcd-for garden
of the reclusc. For these cats he man
ufactured some exceedingly lifc-like
models of mice, which he placed upon
a diminutive railway line in his gar
den, causing them to move like tiny
trains. each mouse being charged with
a strong electric current. The
"mouse railway" was placed in the
grass, The mice appearing and disap-
pearing at intervals. Such a bait
proved irresistible TO the cats. They
pounced on the mice and were in
simultaneously electrocuted by the
Misunderstanding prey" Death was
silent and speedy. Their intermrnt
the recluse saw to personally with Il
1iendish joy.
But the extraordinary mans genius
did not allow him To rest at cat-kiIl-
ing. His home was perfect wizard S
palace of surprises. man from the
neighborhood once forced his way up
to the front door and knocked boldly
, at the door. The effect was clcctrify
: ing and painful. The door flew open as
, though by magic. The next instant
and the tenerity of the stranger was
rewarded by the discharge of bucket
of water full in his face. The action
of knocking had set in motion some
concealed mechanism which opened
the door and threw the bucket of wa
ter, the door then samming uncom-
= promisiHgly, as though to add insult
to injury.
. On one occasion gang of thieves
. lured thithcr by The stories of the
a country people, determined to make
:. Il burglarious descent upon the house
of mystery. They waited for a darl
6 night, and then made their assault
y upon the back of the house. Here, tC
- their surprise, they found n window
wide open, and having easy acces
from without.
A silence, as of the grave, reignet
on every hand. One of the thieve
s climbed in through the window. Ii
moment babel seemed to ensue
Bells were rung, fireworks went of
flashes of lightning-this is all accord
n ing to the description of one of TIL
lie robbers--darted hither and thithcI
Ut and the terrified men took To thei
rs heels and ran. That was the one AN
m only attempt to enter the house bun
n glariously. OF course, the explanation
a of the phenomena is perfectly simple
d, The recluse had merely elaborate
the ordinary burglar alarm. lie ha
n left the window open as a lure to tn
se unwary.
c, And so this strange man lived o
n from year to year. He was rarel
IN seen about, and no one was ever il
ID vited to see him. Who he was an
TT what he was no one seemed to know
he He left nothing in the house to prov
y his Identity Il scrap of writin
it NOTHING hut his pCor furniture an