The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-11-06

MODERN WITcHcRAFT.
Halsey Tomlins, who is now slate
writer at Worth race track and as prac-
teal and sane man IS any wise sport
ing man could ask. sitting in the Pal
Taer House buffet the other night told
this story:
Never mind about ne. I got away bad
al the Overland meeting, and came dowr
u Manitou 10 drink up the sulphu,
String and keep my hand in with roulette
p Old Town. Il was running wide oper
then, q sort of compromise between tbs
Colorado Springs paradise. the Manitor
society heaven. and the Garden OF tn,
Gods which, by lie way. looks mere Aks
! q page from Dante's Inferno than q
park garden or heIne CT the deities.
Il got a room in a widow cottage up II
/ the foothills above Ruxton's Canyon, apo
/ from there I made long walks into the
mountains and over the Cheyenne Can
! yen, where Helen Hunt is buried aRd
where the Seven Falls drop a thousand
Seet n relays and never look cheap TIL
they get down 10 rock bottom and flow
| away in the shape CT a kind of SkOisiC
Creek.
ION one Of my lonesome rambles among
the peaks ! ran across one Of those half
canvas, half wooden shacks that are Sc
plentiful in all mountain resorts. I was
tagged the proprietor for a moistener.
He save me water. and asked me 70 sIt
/ down. We got pretty we'll acquainted.
and when be heard that I was a gambler
! he admitted that I was the very kind OF
| a man he was looking for. He asked me il
I had ever been Interested in aerostatics.
and when I said that I had been and
was. though I didn't know what it meant,
/ h told me that he had invented flying
machine, and that all he wanted TO set
kim on his feet was a man ike me. who
/ was willing TO take chance and who
! would finance a first appearance before
a large, paying crowd.
Il admitted that I thought the scheme
might be worked. provided his flying ma
/ chine worked. and then he showed it 10
ne. 1t was nothing but wings. so far
a. could see, great, spreading wings
/ of white, shining metal which he ex-
/ piained was aluminium. I admitted that
/ l didn't know anything about balloons.
/ flying machines or anything Of that kind,
and he went into the history OF the whole
! business. He told me that human ignor-
/ ance, prejudice and stinginess had thus
| far been the chief obstacle to successful
( navigation Of the air, and that al an
/ earlier day religious superstition had de-
/ feated and destroyed some Of the most
/ remarkable efforts TO fly. He told about
some archbishop who. having witnessed
/ the successful fight Of an aeronaut from
/ che mountain peak 10 another, had I'M
mediately caused the scientist TO be
/ burned at the stake for witchcraft
we got down TO brass tacks after q
! while and l said that If he would give
me a private exhibition OF his flying abil-
/ ity I'd take him to Denver and pull off
a show in which we might both make
some money. I stayed all night at his
shack, and he explained the Workings OF
bic invention. il was. as / told you most
u wings, but there was a piece OF har-
ness which REACHED from the butt Of the
wings to his feet by. means Of which he
claimed TO be able to launch himself from
the earth. In other words. once hitched
up TO his Continuance Nhe couidt by a few
vigorous strokes with both legs set up
such vigorous tapping Of his wings
that he rose at once After that 1t was
mostly a question of slow steady leg
strokes. the manipulation of the wings
with his hands. soaring. posing, and
finally sinking by folding his pinions
Beyond Cameron's Cone. a thousand
feet or more below the cliff that faces
south. there is a wide. smooth table land
OF perhaps a thousand acres. i was to so
there IN the morning, while he. winged
and ready, was 10 launch himself from
the cliff mount. stocp, soar descend.
Gt-EilLs anu III every way demonstrate bis
ability 20 fly When 7 got to my place
about noon I could decry him only by
the reflection which ne sun cast from his
bright wings. He looked like an ant
aloft, and I sat down in the SHADE Of
snail oak and waited. Presently I saw
his wings spread. He seemed to leap
from the precipitous edge or the Cliff
against the wind. I felt sick and dizzy as
I waited for his fan. But instead OF
/ falling he f0gfrd r.frn
Hike a BIRD Then the wind which was
AGAINST him. drove MIN hack and upward
IKE q kite. The wings were notionless.
but he circled and rose as YOU have seen
buzzar7s circle and mount with wings
that seem rigid. Then he swung out across
the abyss and away. uuartering towa ~
the east : eagle ever few: then poised
again. and came sw0oDing Ike q hawk
toward TIE table where T lay, Fascinated.
watching him. ] thought lie would De-
csshcd 30 pieces against the ground. but
when he was perhaps 400 feet above me.
descending like 4 dead missile. saw the
strokes of his lees The great cleaning
wings smote the air rapidly. and he
stood still IN midair leaning. as IL were
against the breeze. and then. in swiftly
narrowing circles. ciTcled downward
gently toward tho eaT;h. Ife alivhtcd not
more than q hundred yards from me. drew
l.. his wings and called out. Come and
set me downt
81 unhitched him and gave him @ drink
from ny flask. He was winded bat stiu
strong. and ne saw that / was delighted
VIII the demonstration. don't re-cr1-
ber what I said. but 1t was all praise
We carted the machine back up TIE
mountain. and 7 started for Denver the
next day. 7 engaged Elitchs Garden for
every sunday for Q month ard broke
into the papers for aal kinds of space
about Professor Woody and his flying
machine The pr0bl ~ Of aerial na-t-
cation was solved. 7 said. and J believed
&c. Professor H'oodly came Up, bringing
lis machiae with hiHl. and he was inter
view Cd for Whole pages The sale ~
tcAets ives enormous. The one thing cs-
sent'ai was perch high enough. ( Dor
re wed all the money I could get-they
wouldn't advance r1e the box office re-
ceiUts-ard when Saturday came ] had
CT ected q sort Of scaEold nearly Joe feet
hish
There must have been o. 09a people on
the grounds az O'Clock Sunday when
Woody mounted the ladder with his ma
chine. i WAS IN inEressive moment
Utter silence Teigned white 80 was vet-
tirg into his harness Al last he stood
gpon the verse. Re hesitatc5. then
SPREAD his greet. gl.ttaring wines Then
he sat down The crowd che--ed Vaft g.
cheered again. and vas .ent Then
e-aly stood up. end saw that De- was
trying "a make 2 sr-sch Ea u- chit pc
weH have whiStled Not 2 wort ~ ls
could re heard. The crowd began q
seer ives az the foct Of ,he ladder
end scamperei up as fast rs T coufi-
IS han I sos o. the little platform Gt The