The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-06-02
THE WEEKS TALK
 IN NEW YORK CITY A Soldier of Fortune Who Had
 Visions of an Empire SOUGHT CONTROL OF CHINA No Summer Till July-Goulds to Give Up Georgian court-Tilton's Pa
 thetc story-A Walters
 Rise and Downfall.
SOUGHT CONTROL OF CHINA
BY sEWELL HAeGARD.

New York June 1.-(Speeial.) )-J. Edward Boeek, who was a ear tracer seven years ago earning $40 a month. has contributed stories lived by soldiers of fortune. At present he is under indictment for steal ing several hundred thousand dollars worth of jewelry and is fugitive from justice That is a marvellous thing with in itself when 1t is taken into consid- eration that Boeck d. net get tho jewels by breaking open sone ones strong tOX. Boeck established himself step by step as a jewelry salesman rntll. possessing the full confidence of Maiden Lane ner- chants he could get jewes -o any amount in vale, turned o9er b him without se- curity on the propelf of making q sale. It was some of these jewels that he made way with. But this ls only an incident in the strange slory Of his mans ca reer. Since his departure fr parts un- known the pcliee have learned hat vsicrs of being the man behind the throne of great empire aetuated Boeek To rule the young Emperor nf China after the death of the aged Empress, 70 give gov ernment concessions worth scores of mill lions of dollars to a half dozen American capitalists and make himself one of the worlds wealthiest man-thls was the vision of J. Edward Bosck. the missing soldier of fortune.
 It was to a man from whom inc had borrowed thousands of dollars and from whom he exIcctei to borrow still more, that Boeck .old lns details of his gigantic scheme for the granting of chinese con- sessions. In a nutshell, he said, he had the young Emperor of China 'in the palm of his hand" and that IS soon as the Empress died. she beng opposed to his schemes, he woGm go 10 china, be the power behind tie Emperor and run things virtually as he pleased
 His associates, he declared, were men whose names a,e we'll known in the realms of high tilance and who stood ready to advance Go him guy ainount of money necessary for his programme. They were to build railroads, get min ing concessions and to do government work, which would net them at least S100, GOO 000. To be gin, they We're to op- crate a steamship line between New York and Shanghai. BoesK had partly com pleted the plans for the line, und accord ing to his statements was to receive S200- GOO, as well as a large interest In the stock, for his work of organizA- tion.
 That Boeck had a personal acquaintance with the youthful Emperor of China was well known among certain fiDanoiers. It was known to them also that he had met the Empress and dined with her. and that she thought well of him. It was an established fact also that this remark able soldier of fortune was on intimate terms with many of the nest inlluenc1al men in the Chinese empire.
 He met the Emperor early in 1900 just after he arrived in China with copsign- ment of goods from the American Asso- citation of Manufacturers. and spent much time with him from the moment he was presented to him. According to his own statements he and the Emperor became intimate friends, and the ostensible ruler readily agreed to cooperate In scheme proposed by Boeek granting concessions of almost inestimable value to Ameri- cans.
 But, 1t was said by Boeck, the aged Empress drowned on the proposal and her power being greater than that of her son, the scheme had to be temporarily abandoned It was Boeck's plan to return to China this year to renew his assocla- ton with the Emperor and patiently await the death of the Empress. With the Emperor on the throne, he expected to run things about as he pleased.
 Newspaper sensations do not interest New Workers these days The box car headlines of the "yellows" and their smudges of pictures and red ink are passed by in silence. The one thing that New York is interested in Is the weather How much longer Is winter going Lo last? The man who could answer this question accurately would have & good working basis of popularity to start campaign for the Presidency on a Weath- CT Bureau Reform ticket In view of the great loss to. crops and the distress of the summer resort proprietors 1t has been suggested that prayer be offered In all the churches for better weather
 The only man that is pleased with this queer thing that the calendar calls spring is Andrew Jackson Devoe, an amateur weather prophet of Hackensack, N J. Devoe Is pleased because he predicted the present. cold season and, therefore, has the laugh on the United States weather bureau officials. According to him there will be no summer until July H. Here are his predictions:
 June 3 to ', moderately warm.
 June 8, very heavy thunderstorms, fol lowed by falling temperature.
 June to IS, coldest summer weather for many years in June, but too cloudy for frost, though almost cold enough for snow.
 June 13 to 15, pleasant.
 June 16. warm, showery.
 June "A, heavy thunderstorms.
 June go to 27, very cold for summer.
 July will come in cool and stay so for several days.
 "The Fourth" cool.
 July 6, thunderstorms.
 July to 10 very cold for that time of the year.
 July il. and then through the summer, very hot.
 All crops will be late.
 There is pathos in plenty in the life story
 of Theodore Triton, who died in Paris the other day after a long exile from his native land. He was the last survivor of that memorable scandal of thirty-five years ago involving the great nams and