The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-04-29

bers arrived at Westminster by boat. Every house.
holder who was able had moved into the suburbs
land is inundated with webb" was the question on
everybodys lips: and quite serious politicians were
talking ., of a universal smisrstion scheme.
had been transferred to Southend. watched and
waited Wakeheld's steamer WAS about due now.
II Uncle James was right. all would be well. 70
not! Keith shuddered.
Already Parliament had offered . reward OF Afty
scheme for getting rid of the spiders The million
aire proprietor of the Morning News had doubled
Now Parliament voted hundred thousand. Bays
water-Kensngton- existed NO
above: saw them a: deserts and h,l1: .nd valleys
of hideous opalescent whiteness Web-web-web.
Then suddenly one day the Morning News came
out with sensational placards: THE Spider Prob
Wakefield had arrived-arrivcd with = special
huge cratelike cages containing Thousands Of Ham,
Merbills. The steamer anchored down the
river. and Keith and Wakefield travelled up to Lon
don In dingey to make terms
with n he 10
and asked him to open the sealed envelope. with
previously-of what would happen. Old Horni-
mans spiders had escaped In the metropolis. near
Of the park They would breed at the he rate Of
thirty thousand month. And nothing could kill
the
been found!
The evidence. read in Keith's presence before
the Royal Commission. was effective. When Keith
further offered not to claim the awards until Lon
Carefully the crates were brought ashore; and
in the presence of practically the whole Of Parlia-
lance of the central sea Of web and hundred
Hammerbills were set free.
case was brought and opened. and another hundred
birds dew free Then another; and then another.
nj ms he IN here thA n
penny Of our ten thousand pounds. This expedi-
ton cost the deuce Of lot; and didn't spare ex-
pense I'm paupsr II those Hsmmerbiiis doa't
All the rivals Of the Morning News scoiRed at
Day after day they sconed day after day passed
and the ocean of web was no smaller. The Morn
Ing News retaliated by pointing out that 1t was lit
Keith and Wakefield experienced unspeakable
anxiety as time passed and definite results :til1
jourpal deluged them with ridicule. But-what
was sgnincant-the professor had no alternative
At last! some idiot. at Putney. had shot
Hammerbill-and behold. In its stomach was found
England rang with the news-and Londonen
nearly lynched the sportsman. Parliament held
81 aad .na. the
After that things moved quickly The Hammer
bill. themselves were rarely seen-but the e1ec
Of web narrowed as it fell to bits and died int.
rottenness. whitehall was now free. and the whole
OF the CITY, tneu flc101Ily was cleared. ana I'M
masses of putrescent web taken out to In light
ers and got rid Of; path was made across 81
James, Park. and there was talk Of the King -
turning to Buckingham Palace from Sandringhan
Hyde Park. black and ugly, came 20 light again
gardens started work in IT.: day BY day the new
throbbed forth of . fresh release.
One by one the Hammerbflls were found. lyin
dead-dead of starvation. Not . spider remained
and therefore food. Finally. one was caugh
and preserved. on q special meat diet at the Zoe
To this day its cage II place OF pilgrimage to
those who remember the havoc OF the web an
the awful period when London was enwrapped
its pail Of silver.
And a. for Keith and Wakefield! Their 5000
had come on.