The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1910-10-24

Leayitt came in primarily to see
the News-Democrat story. processing
ignorance of it, save that he had
received a telegram from a New
York paper concerning it, and had
denied the story.
In the presence of three witnesses
Mr.. Leavitt made the denial which
was published in The Evening Sun,
J and we deem II no breach of conf
; denoe to add that he said on the
night. when he is supposed to have
made his occult demonstration in
bed, he was dining out, a statement
which we have since taken the pains
TO verify as a historical fact.
Mr.. Leavitt said more: he called
the article "a species of yellow jour
nalism", and vowed Mr.. Hearst's
. papers couldn't have done worse.
He said he had never talked with a
News-Democrat reporter about the
matter: that the whole story was
absurd and untrue and that no such
thing ever occurred to his personal
knowledge.
When we published the denial We
supposed We were doing Mr.. Leavitt
good turn. We have heard since
that representatives of the News
democrat, and former County Judge
r. T. Lightfoot corraled Mr.. Leavitt
in the Three Links building Satur-
day night. and his signed statement
in the News-Democrat Sunday morn
ing may have been the product of
THAT interesting interview - and,
then, it may not.
AS the matter stands, II that COM
munication. obtained in whatever
manner one may imagine. is to be
accepted, then Mr.. Leavitt may be
assumed to have heard "the story
read over the telephone before the
same was published, and thereby
Ito give the sanction of inspiration
and revelation to every syllable, dot
and punctuation mark in it.
A fake story, like murder, can
lgenerally be detected by the efforts
of the guilty parties to cover up
their trail. A story founded on fact
requires no corroborative evidence.
This Leayitt story contains as COM
lplete, though crudeiy developed plot.
as that employed to give verisimili-
tude to the rankest melodrama.
Let us introduce our hero, Mr.
w. II. Leavitt, the painter of THE
Last Supper" He is asleep in bed
forget for the moment that he was
in reality dining out that night
"All through the evening, he says.
II had feeling of depression, just
as though l were alone in a lower
ing storm"
Business with thunder machine.
IL / Ed
81 awoke," says he, with a start.
could not shake of the Fremont
ltion."
Can we not infer from the story.
a prologue, in which the artist is
similarly awakened from a deep
lsleep by some mysterious influence,
and going TO his studio in the Latin
quarter (or do they sleep in 'em?)
his feverish hand under the guild
ance of the afflatus daubs the colors
on the canvas. and in the morning
he awakes and finds the great mas
lterpiece finished in every detail?
This man has communication with
the supernatural. But let us hasten
on. The plot thickens.
"The nearer / approached the
building" our hero continues. THE
more convincing became my sensa-
ton that something was amiss."
(Here is a phenomenon, which
would interest the society for psy-
chical research).
Then the narrator takes the stage
for a minute to describe the hero.
Here Mr.. Leavitts voice shook
with emotion as he recalled the mar
row escape of his painting from total
destruction"
| 1--WE are to infer that the recital
over the telephone By the author OF
the story so moved Mr.. Leavitt's
easily excited imagination, that his
voice 'shook with emotion Per-
haps, shook the wire).
Enter the yillain-Oh, not a really,
truly villain; merely a man driven
mad by the preaching of DR.. r. A.
Torrey; for Mr.. Leayitt is quoted as
saying it was someone temporarily
deranged by the series of revival
services" And you must remember
that this man Leavitt deals in the
occult. and the same vision that led
him to the scene. could easily have
revealed TO him the character of the
person whom he had TO face.
He reaches the building and, what
does he see?
There, WITH ONE HAND HOLD
ING A KNIFE IN POSITION To
DESCEND ON THE PAINTING,
stood a man."
But again miraculous Intervention
saves the picture; for 1t is recorded
Il was unable to speak FOR SEW
ERAL MINUTES"
(stage picture. Villain holding