The Brinkley argus., 1909-09-03
TORPEDO IS DEADLY
Destructive Engine of War ln-
 vented by Deserter.
Latter Is Prisoner on 0overnors Island, N. Y.-Missile Explooes Twice and Demolishes Every
 thing It Hits.

New York.-Zaccheu Favor. former rrivate in the Coast Artillery Corps, United States army, now serving sentence of two years in Castle Wlii- jam on Governors Island for desertion' is about to apply for aapatent Tor a death-dealing missile, which he and his friends in the prison, as. well as firm of New York lawyers, wEo nave agreed to exploit it. declare to be the most destructive engine of warfare ever invented.
 While refusing to give any technical details of his deadly device. Favor de- scribes 1t in general as a flying cleo trical torpedo that explodes twice. once when it strikes the object against which it is fired, and second time after it has entered the object that is to be destroyed.
 Favor is about 2s years old, and said that he had been working on his dou- ble-action torpedo about four years He admitted that he had enlisted in the army to learn all about torpedoes.
 After he had gained what he con sidered a thorough knowledge of them he decided it was time to quit the army and sell his invention. He did quit, but the government caught him, and he was court-martialed and sen tenced to Castle William.
 When not moving the lawns, grind ing bones to make fertilizer, sweeping the walks or shoveling coal, Favor says, he has spent all of his spare time perfecting his invention. A few days ago he turned over the plans and specifications to his New York law vers, who will immediately apply to the patent office in Washington for a patent.
 If that is granted the lawyers will look around for some government to which to sell the secret of the inven- ton.
 The Imprisoned inventor said the other day that he had been indirectly approached by foreign government but that he had declined to enter into negotiations for the present. .
 Though l am a prisoner sent here by the government of my country, 1 am still patriotic enough to want my native land to have the first chance at this torpedo" he said.
 What do you shoot the thing from ?' Favor was asked.
 "Ah," he answered, there is the se- cret of the whole thing It is shot from nothing at all. There are no tubes. such as are used iii firing the Whiteheads.
 'Tt is like great electrical bird. and it .oars through the air. It can be fired from anywhere. and is just as effective for iand defense as for sending warships to the bottom of the sea.
 Speaking of warships, one we'll placed projectile that can be fired from a distance of ten miles, if it strikes the ship, will send the Ship and all the men in her to the bottom. This torpedo of mine is double exploding affair. That is, it explcdes first to effect an entrance into the ship CT fortification, and once inside it goes off again to finish tie job
 "Suppose you fired one of them at a regiment of soldiers, what would hap pen to the so.diers?" Faycr was asked.
 Tt would kill every blessed one of to,,, ,ncnorcJ Favor
 Would anything be left for the sec ond explosion ?"
 No, that would just scatter about what was left added the inventor.
 Suppose you set one off in tho col lar of one of New Yorks .'g buildings, what would be the finish"
 There would not be enough of that building left to fill cigar box" re sponded the inventor proudly.
 Favor said he would dell through his attorneys, pending his release from prison