The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-04-01

Special Cable to The Age-Herald by Paul
 villiers. Copyright, 1907, by w. R.
 Hearst)
 Paris March s1.-No longer dare we Frenchmea laugh at our neighbors across the Rhine who do not know the diff ference between an ex-convict shoe maker from Koepenick and an officer in the Kaiser's glorious army. for, alas, we too have been "Koespenicked' by an ordinary thief, successfully having mas dueraded as assistant secretary of war, inspected barracks and robbed sleepy sol ders.
 The thief evidently knew that M. Che ron, like President Roosevelt when police commissioner in New York, was fond of making surprise visits to camps and bar racks to see that all was well with the men, even in the quiet hours of the night
 It therefore caused little comment when a man pretending to be the Assistant sec retary in the dead of the night appeared at the gates of the barracks at Shateau q Eau and demanded to be shown through dormitores and guardrooms.
 Quietly entering room where 100 pri- yates were dreaming of military glory, he began to examine their clothing, abstract ing whatever valuables he found. Some of the worriers who woke up he quieted ulSDlaylnS welfare, inquiring if they were comfort able, well fed and well treated.
 At last, however, a soldier who knew M. Cheron struck a match and yelled that the visitor looked not at all like the strenuous secretary, but his comrades would not believe him, and the thief was allowed to escape with his booty.
 The story of camel with jag on has made Parisians laugh.
 The Ship of the Desert as an adver- tisement for a breakfast food harmless to camels and therefore, supposedly also to men, was being promenaded along the bouevards, when it developed strange weakness, causing it to walk sideways.
 This produced a series of nishaps among the traffic through the alarm of horses at the camels curious stunt. Trembling and shuffling along, the desert ship was taken to a police station.
 While it was waiting outside, the pro- prletor of a wineshop taking pity on the suffering beast, offered it bowl of wine. which 1t drank greedily and looked for more.
 It was feeling much better and in quite a jaunty mood when lowed inside the sta- ton, where it fell into deep sleep in the sergeant's office where it slumbered all night In the morning when the owner called, it was quite sober, and able to walk in It's usual manner.
 May 20 is the date fixed by the village girls of Ecassusines- -Lalsng for the festi- val to which they are inviting all the bachelors of the world
 The fete which has now became famous, originated with few girls of the village who thought it was a pity that there was no way of becoming acquainted with the great number of bachelors roaming about dying, they thought, to make the ac- q1alntance of the nice and pretty girls
 They claim that their fete is no matri- monial market but that they simply in- vite young men, who like to come, to tea or coffee, and if some of them fall in love with the ladies present and wish to marry. so much the better
 The spectacle of a prominent lsraelite publicly disavowing his old faith and be- coming a convert to Catholicism Is very rare one in Paris nowadays. It is still more exceptional and exciting when the person is a leading literary man. This Is what has just been done by N. Francis de Crossiet a distinguished and brilliant dramatist, whose plays have recently met with immense success at Paris and Monte Carlo.
 He is the author of Le Bonheur, Mes danes" a particular clever play, which was one of the greatest successes of last winter. M. de Croisset's baptism. which took place so that he should have the same faith as his fiancee, took place at the church of St. Clotllde. The author will shortly be married to Mile. Dietz- Monin. at the Madeleine church
 The death has just taken place at the little town of Seaux. near here Of Valen- tin le Desosse, who was one of the most famous dancers of the time when Moulin Rouge was in the height of it's fame and