The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-12-27
VIA JOHN KrNDRICK BANGS.

Christmasville, Santa Clausland, De- cember 12. 1903 Your Christmasville cor respondent has just had an interview with Santa Claus at his country seat on the Taffy River. and is glad to be abe to announce that the threatened post ponement of Christmas, owing to the toy strikes. has been averted. The calling out of the Union Dolls and Amalgamated Jumping Jacks in September has, of course. seriously delayed MT. Claus pre- parstions for the season, but by yielding on few of the disputed points and agree ing to arbitrate others a modus vivendi has been established by which all may be in readines for the celebration of Christmas on December 25, as usual. It was in respect to this matter that called upon Mir Claus and obtained the follow ing interview:
 Mir. Claus received me in the model room of his delightful residence at Toy ton, on the Taffy River. where he spends what leisure time he has. I found him engaged in designing a new style of nur- sery game called Autumobile. It was an ingefiious mechanical arrangement in (which an automobile starts at one end of a road. moving at first very slowly. but gradually increasing its speed until near the middle of it's course. when 1t runs over number of wooden mannikins. The falling of the mannikins releases,a small zinc policeman on horseback. who starts in pursuit of the automobile and gains upon 1t rapidly, but fails in his purpose to arrest the occupants, because at the moment he reaches the side of the feet ing vehicle the machine explodes and blows the whole toy to pieces.
 That win be the most popular toy oi the season if I can ever get 1t working safely. said Santa Claus, as he ex. nIatFaaA ffa tYaU ho nj tO yraa fr detail. 'slt Is extremely realistic and tht explosion at the end imparts to it sort of Fourth of July flavor that will prov' most appealing to the small boys of thu day. It has a moral purpose, too. ir teaching the young not to exceed th' speed limit, but can't get the hanged thing to blow up without danger to thos' whot play with 1t"
 t Mindful of the Parents.
 Not unless overcome that difficulty said Santa Claus q don't wont to gel parents down on me for endan gering tho lives and eyes of their chi fdren, and am very much afraid that for novelty this year they'll have to be content will my football automaton. This is all ready. Come in here and I'll show you how it works.'
 And my host immediately took me into the next room, where he introduced m'
 
 but delightful mechanical toys have ever seen.
 Twenty-two little mannikins are lined mp. eleven on a side, in opposing forma tons. By touching a button the manni kins are released and a scrimmage tha is most exciting follows. They fall upoI each other until the whole quiverins mass nes in huge pile of mannlkins 1T the centre of the board. The pressure O. another button brings them back to theil original positions again. but here tn, method of the game appears. Tho man nilsins are made of three parts each somewhat loosely joined together, and O course in the scrimmage some of then are pulled apart and so incapacitated fo further play. Their remains are removed from the board, and the players Ief whole continue the game as before. Tn game is continued until the mannikins ol one side or the other are completely de molished, the side having one or nor survivors being declared the winner.
 Most ingenious said I. But suppns they are all smashed?'
 "Then the game Is a draw" said Sant; Claus, viewing the machine with a com placent smile. Its corlxing good toy. think. Equal to a liberal education, Ca.
 And of course I agreed with him.
 ''Mr. Claus" said I as we retired to hi library. 'I suppose you have heard tn rumors that have been going the rounds lately about your unreadiness for tn Christmas seasonT"
 "No." said he, 'I hadn't heard of that is there such a rumor?''