The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-02-17

London, Feb. 16.-For some time a mys-
terious document known as The snow
bail Prayer has been agitating the minds
Of hundreds Of thousands Of recipients
throughout the United Kingdom Each
person who received prayer was re-
quested to copy it and post it to nine
friends within nine days from its receipt
Those VINO did not comply with the re-
quest were threatened with some dire
misfortune, while those who complied
with il were promised great Joy.
Like so many other SNOWFALL schemes.
the object OF which has generally been
the collection OF money. the SNOWFALL
prayer became "a serious nuisance.
A short calculation soon showed 10 what
an enormous extent the scheme grew
when even moderately complied with.
Many persons wrote 20 the press and the
clergy asking advice and were told to
burn the request The leading clergy.
including the bishops, publicly recon-
mended the same course. The extent TO
which the craze got hold Of many people
is indicated by "a letter a man wrote TO
newspaper IN which he said that ne had
not complied with the request and that
his daughter mad died on the ninth day
Traced to Insane woman.
Since November last efforts % trace the
origin Of the prayer have been made, but
were unsuccessful until now. when the
following sad story is current in the West
End. On November y two mental spe-
cialists were summoned to the home Of
one Of the fsirest and youngest peeresses
in Mayfair. They found the patient, who
had been mildly insane for six months.
decidedly worse. and had TO place her in
private asylum. From her the now-famous
prayer emanated. having been mailed by
her first TO tWenty-f9Ur friends and ac-
quaiutauces. The unfortunate Iady's
iunacy dates almost froEl Es- honey
moon. which followed one OF the most
brilliant pre-Lenten weddings Of 1876 II
commenced with depression and lassitude,
and then took on religious form during
Father Bernard Vaughans attack on
Mayfair morals. Sine -hen the unhappy
lady Eys h.ll.Ja.d the E.c6JdneSs Of her
world her own fate. and her husbands.
and has been spending much of her life
IN tears.
Thirty Killed by Avalanche.
a factory at Puchoni. Roumania. has
lost its entire STAFF. save one or two, by
similar and almost simultaneous catas-
trophies. The Jorescu Wood Modelling
Factory employed thirty-one men. Fif-
teen of them were going home one even
ing last week when they were engulfed by
an avalanche from the Valea Sitei Noun
tain. The other sixteen. who were going
home by a different road. were struck TO
death by another avalanche from Mount
Metarcea. one man, who was caught on
the edge Of the rushing mass, managed 10
free himself Soldiers dug the men ont OF
thirty feet OF snow, but not one was alive
Most Of them were married men and left
large families
wild Man in Cave.
The chief Of police of Szatmarnemeti,
Hungary. while hunting with d party OF
friends in the dense forests OF the neigh
borhood, fell into a hole which led to
cave. Cropping his way along he stun
bled on q recumbent form. which imme-
diately attacked him iercely- A couple Of
heaters came 20 his rescue and pulled the
creature out of the cave It proved 10 1e
a human being. who had almost com
He was absolutely naked and was COW
cred with thick, matted hair.
A prolonged investigation resulted in his
identification as Johann Labaucs. a peas
ant. who disappeared twenty-seven years
ago Since that time he has lived in the
cave, feeding on herbs. roots. and nuts.