The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-07-13
KANSAS COMMENT
JUST IN TIME.


| Wilkie Collins, one of the greatest
| story tellers that ever lived. who was
famous Tor the ingenuity of his plots,
| used to say that it was impossible for
a novelist to invent a situation so I'M
usual that it could not be duplicated in
real life
There are many people in all parts of
the country VINO believe that in order
to read OF strange and romantic things
one must turn to fiction; these same
people glance over the newspapers
every Gay. and never see or recognize
the stories of odd happenings and ro-
mantle adventures which are part OF
the worlds daily story. Few people
read the newspapers; if they are inter-
ested in politics, they read the political
news; If they are dead game sports
they read the pink section; if they are
spectators they read the markets, and
so on, but they are few indeed who
note the really interesting and gro
tesque things in the news columns.
A man who is not so interested in
one subject that he is obhvious to all
others, and who reads the news as it
comes. finds in the course of a month
the material for fifty romantic novels.
AS an Illustration, the following true
little story is given. 1t was printed, in
outline, in the dispatches Of a few days
ago, throughout the country. 1t was
not featured by any newspaper; not
one reader in a hundred noticed it; YET
1t is really a remarkable story, and
mantle novelist.
Two years ago, Pedro Ortiz, Ramon
Zarate and Bibiano Lira, young Next
cans of good family, went out of the
town OF Zaeatecas on a little excursion
of their own. The two latter returned
in due season, but Ortiz came home no
more. Search was made for him, and
a body was found on the desert, and
identified as his.
His two companions were tried; the
nj
and made so poor an impression upon
the jury that the prisoners were con-
Victed. Zarate was sentenced to be
shot, and Lira drew life imprisonment.
One morning last week Zarate was
informed by the urbane executioner
that it was time for him to back up
against the wall and let the boys use
him for target practice. He made no
fully, and marched buoyantly to the
place of execution. He backed up
against the wall; the soldiers We're
aiming their rifles; another minute and
that stranger gave such a yell that
everybody turned to see what was
hurting him. The stranger was Pedr |
Ortiz, for whose murder Zarate was
about to suffer. OF course the execu |
ton was called off and explanations
rated the testimony of the convicted |
men in every detail.
Who was the dead man identified as |
Ortiz? Even true stories have their |
weak points.-Emporia Gazette.
%
FINE SCHEME HAS DEFECT.
Fifty unmarried women of the Pro- |
gressive Women's Suffrage union of |
New York have signed the following |
pledge: We, the undersigned, here |
by declare that we will not indulge in |
matrimony with any man who is not /
willing to sign an agreement that |
he will not only lend his moral sup |
port to suffrage. but will work pa
tiently and hard toward it's support |
and success The secretary of the |
union is confident that in six months |
there will be hundred thousand |
signers and then mere man will be- |
sin to understand that the union real |
IS means business. The scheme is |
beautiful and fine, but it would be |
more likely of producing the desired |
results if it were not for the million |
or more charming creatures that do /
not care whether they vote or not
Fort Scott Republican.