The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-04-05

said he would detail 30 policemen to keep the crowds in order and prevent interference with the rites of the oc- casion
 Interesting Correspondence.
 The first was dated 'Wormley's. March 3O and was addressed to the chief of police. It read:
 jor Richards: Hail We see tha, all men are mortal! It hath pleased Brimah, who Is infinite and almighty, to call Deria Lodi to the right hand of tl9" Giver of Bliss We desire to bury her in accordance with the rites of our re- ligion-that is to have her body con sumed on q funeral pyre. We ask your gracious indulgence
 With profoundest regard,
 ROLE PARTAB, Priest of Delhi. Major Richards reply was that there was law to prevent such a cere- nonial, as General Babcock had per lnitted the use of the Monument lot for the purpose.
 Then followed a description of the palanquin upon which the body woul1 be borne from the hotel to the scene of cremation, the body, clad in robes of Iichest silk and covered with exquisite Indian shawls, being in full view. At it's head was 6 golden image of four
 
 jewels and ornaments, gold and silver, representing a considerable value, ah of which, save the golden image, was to be burned, with the body of the lamented Deria Lodi.
 According to the reporter, all the foreign representatives then in the city together with the civil and military officials of this country, had signified their intention of being in attendance. making the solemn scene even more picturesque by reason of the gaudy uni forms of those in attendance.'
 Everybody Came To See.
 q do not have to tell you that the day was a holiday in the male schools-de- clared so by the boys themselves on their own responsibility. And not few of the girls kept them company while the departments were all but depleted Fifteenth street from H down to the old canal was thronged, while a crowd assem- bled in the Monument grounds such as gathered there year ago to witness the flight of the airships which did not take place.
 Much curiosity was aroused in the crowd about Wormley's at the lack of preparation TOT such an event, but when a platoon of policemen arrived-the affair was approaching a nuisance to the hotel people-the shrewd officer in command gave it out that the body had been taken out privately and was even then on the way to the place of final disposition. This report spreading, the crowd set south ward, young America racing down Eff teentn street, loudly calling to one an- other as the gangs of the day threaten ed to become too widely scattered for safety.
 Among many of the people-the older ones-the word was whispered that they had been hoaxed, but this did not keep them from going to the Monument grounds. There other platoons of police men were stationed, in spite of which not a little disorder occurred A great crowd of Foggy Bottom boys was assailed by the gang from the island as southwest Washington was then called, and the First warders' retreated westward across the old canal at Seventeenth street, max ing a stand at the old lockhouse at that point but were beaten back. Was a Battle Royal. "The smaller boys were dispatcheo l back to the row of limeklns just west 1 of the Van Ness place, the present ath- | letic grounds of George Washington uni- versity. Here the kids, as instructed, gathered bushels of 'dornicks or the proper size for hurling, and at the com- ] mand of the leader of the Foggy Bottom l bows what looked like full retreat was i organized. e.. ] "The Island boys feI into the trap, for 1 Virginia avenue at that point formed d i cul de sac on the hilly side of which to i the right and from the top of the lime l kiln to the left the First Warders took their stand with plentiful ammunltlon' which worked great havoc on their mis- guided enemies Many were the cut heads and bruised bodies before the Islanders gave way, and they were thoroughly tbracha bafnrp they escaped. 'It was great but gory day for us, i and many men now in their fifties bear sears of that conflict to this day
 '.The National Republican came back at it's readers the next day with oisiii- fled josh over their gullibility, and rath- or infimated that all of the people could he fooled on April l, but when. year 1 later it published an excellent account of the advent into Washington or one Robert Kunrath, president of the hosl- crecians (order of the Rose Cross) an eastern adept and mysticist who possess ed the power to translnute tne paser 'fe, es,, als into gold. the public refused to faii for if Kunrath It was alleged. was to oxbihit certain fabulously valuable jew els from the east at the Wiilard hotei on the afternoon of April l, ana at o,clocl, would repair to the reservation at Seventh street and the avenue op- nosite St. Mares hotel where he would 
 raise various baser metals to the power of gold for the delectation of those who might attend. ,
 Lust a few were fooled by this hoax' and. so far as I can remember, this was the last local attempt to perpetrate an April fool joke on the public at large.
 An OId-Time Nature FakIr.
 "rhis matter of hoaxing the public had great vogue q third of a century sgessr said Il man who halls from eln- cinnati. "but out in the middle west they were not confined to the lst Of Aprii i remember that the Cincinnati Enquirer had on it's staff about that time "a, genius with Q vivid imagination, widespread knowledge of men and events. and pro found contempt for conventionality. Al though the recipient of sufficient sal sry and capable of earning largely by outside literary work. his appearance was such that he had earned the sobriquet or ''Dirty-sh;rt'' Blank-snyhow, Blank is good enough for publication; mary here will recognize the sobriquet.
 Blank was wont to indulge in sprees, not uncommon failure in the news paper world at that time, as rare as it d