Daily Kennebec journal., 1901-12-10
he NOWTAtKS.
Deafand Dumb Man in Del
aware Finds His Voice.
The Whipping Post Responsible Tor
This Wonderful Miracle.
wheo The Lash Dsseend ded Upon Him MS
Tongue Wasssd Rapidly.

Down in the state OF DeId""ie Viz
people are in somewhat OF quahoarS.
With them it is either one or tNo
things. They are on the eve OF a re-
narkable scientific discovery that VIII
startle the entire civilized world and ST.
the medical fraternity guessing, or they
are being buncoed, and they don
hardly know which. If the former theH
propose to send the glad tidings broad
cast. fill the state with silent people
and work the transformation while you
wait and turn out some finished pro
duct that will outrival Edison's famous
talking machine and make the light
ming rod agent kick himself with envy
If. on the other hand. the good people
are being buncoed out of their birth
right and their goods and chatels, why
the judge viii do the sentencing act
and the whipping post will do the rest.
This wonderful 20th century discov-
cry. it il can be so called, is the result
Of accident rather than hard study AMI
experience. II seemed that in one OF
the large cities of the peach state there
has been for some time deaf and
dumb man upon whom fortune never
smiled and. when fortune knocked a.
his door, as they say it always docs
out and did not hear the summons.
This man had been an obpect of char
ity for a number of years and all kinds
of old clothing and religious tracts had
been coming his way. He had his regu-
lar roltc and was pretty sure 10 bob
up serencly about so often.
For the past year OF so various things
along the route have mysteriously dis
In. tto1. Ac1S hoy q
upon themselves wings and have flown
away. At last suspicion pointed it
finger toward the silent man. After
seyera! bad breaks in trying to prove
an alibi he confessed his manifold sins
and wickednesS and promised or his
slate never. no, never. to do it again
or at least not to get caught doing It
again.
So they reinstatcd him in their good
graces and the rummage sale donations
continued to come his way again with
out a skip or break. Things went as
merry as a marriage bell for some lit
tie time. Then something happened.
Goods and chatels disappeared as if by
magic and people slept with one eye
open. The hens We're counted every
night to make sure they We're all in.
and about the only thing a man was
sure of was what he had on.
About this time somebody remember
ed the deaf mans unsavory record il.
the past and watched him. Lo, and be
hold. ii was not the man with the hoe
but the man with the slate who had
fallen from grace and who was doing
Il land Office business with other peo-
lle's property.
After securing evidence enough to
convict 10 men and a boy they scooped
down upon him and found in his hum
bic dwelling enough goods and ChatelS
TO start department store. Nainly he
tried to account for their being in his
possession but it was no go. The good
people decided that no sheep could bite
them twice and live. and the man with
the slate was earnestly requested to
call at the judges office and hold Il
Seance with his honor. So up he Went
and this time his dumb eloquence did
not save him. The court read his tale
of Woe on the slate but their hearts
were hard enough to crack and the
Judge in a contralto voice sentenced
him 10 the whipping post. The poor
man wanted to arbitrate and leave the
matter out to a sub b-committee of the
whole but this failed to have its effect
upon the ermine-rohed disciple OF
Blackstone and the original sentence
stood good
The day was appointed and the poor
victim was remanded to Jail to await
the carrying out Of the sentence. He
wrote and sent more letters than mail
order concern but failed to touch the
finty heart Of the judge and time wore
away as il has habit of doing and the
uncommunicativc purloiner was led VI
to the post.
And right here the miracle was per-
formed. The gentleman who wields the
lash expressed sorrow at being obliged
10 do So As duty was and he must do
ii or lose his job he fused over the
poor victim for some time as he pre-
pared him for the sacrifice and every
thing was ready except the man and
down came the lash. The poor man
gave one prolonged groan and yelled:
on, don't hit me again. l never will
do II any more.
10 say the eXecutioner was surprised
would be putting it mild. He came
near falling dead from the effects OF
the shock. 1t was the first time he
mad ever heard a dumb man speak
When he recovered he was mad and
sailed in and busted that gentleman's
Jacket royally.
And now the people down in Della
ware don't know whether it is best to
puiid a big sanitarium with a whippipl
post attachment for the cure of the
deaf and dumb or not.
me cure was effectual and perma-
heHt IN this case as this walking testi-
ulohlai VIII asseverate, as he now talks
nhe pet parrot with no fear of a re-
iapse. II the good people decide to go
INTO this thing in a spirit of philan-
thfopy We shall expect very soon to
see the State over-crowded with silent
people waiting to take the cure Pos
sibly they may in the near future get
'he business down fine so they can ad
minister 1t at distance, like the Isl
lent cure" which is SO much advertised:
and when that happy time comes many
patient housewife. who has been
setting up burning out the midnight oil
waiting for her legal lord to return
from his club. may find little of this
silent cure very beneficial in inducing
lENs,-