The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-09-11
HOBBLE SKIRTS
HELP THE THIEVES
Women Cannot Run From or
After Purse snatchers
STATUES ARE NUISANCE
Memorials Are Put for All Classes of
People, Including Cheap Politi-
cinns-Artist Kills Wife
in Paris

in Paris
Paris, September 10.-(Special) paris
ian pickpockets are reaping a harvest
through the prevalence of the hobble
skirt. Realizing that women wearing
these freak skirts cannot walk rapidly,
much less run, thieves have become very
bold in the depredations upon women pc
destrians
A peculiar case which have at hand
Illustrated not only the truth of this, but
shows that slaves of fashion some times
suffer greatly for their vanity. Nine. De-
triere, wife of a mining engineer, is in
the hospital suffering from broken leg
and internal injuries, while the police are
searching for a sneak thief who stole
her handbag and purse.
While alghting from a taxcab in front
of the residence of a friend in the boule-
ward st. German, the hobble skirt re-
tarded Nine Detrieres movements so
that she fell and was badly hurt.
A pickpocket running up snatched her
handbag containing her purse. AT the
time no one had seen the theft commit
ted and it was not until the victim re-
covered from the faint into which she
had fallen that she became aware Of her
loss.
Nine. Monterey of Enghein Is another
victim of fashions decree. She is suffer-
ing from two broken ankles, the result of
a fall which in turn. was occasioned by
a hobble skirt. A number of other acct
dents have taken place. but I do not
have the names at hand.
Paris Is very much worried over the
question of its statues. There are far
too many of them, and they are getting
almost a public nuisance. Nowadays
statues are struck up to all sorts of no
bodies in Paris. A second rate politician
has only got to have been dead long
enough and he is sure to have at least
bust, with the usual accompaniment of
speeches describing the great political
work of the departed-although, as a
rule, 1t is necessary to look up his name
in books of reference to see what he did,
and why he did it.
1t is this too plentiful supply of politi-
cal statues which is causing the cutlery.
People don't mind them to literary and
artistic celebrities. but why put up a
bust to Monsieur Durand because he once
made noisy speech from the extreme
left. Also some of these statues are very
ugly. So a well known municipal coun-
cillor, Monsieur lie CorbellIer, proposes
that all the political statues should be
swept clean out of Paris and placed in
a ring all around the Notifications. AS
there is another idea to turn the fortifi-
cations into a sort of huge circular park
enclosing Paris the statue idea would
fit In excellently and the defunct politi-
clans would look very we'll spread out
at intervals of every 500 yards or so.
NJ. Sacha Guitry, one of the two sons
of the famous actor of that name, has
taken up literature and now is engaged
upon several works. NJ. Guitry is enjoy
ing his vacation, which will extend far
into next MONTH but he is not allowing
recreation to interfere entirely with the
work which he has under way.
The young author is following the
usual habit of the French authors in adj
vertisng and announcing during the
summer what masterpieces he intends to
bring out so as to allay the keen curios-
ity of the public, if, indeed, such curios-
ty exists at all.
In the case of NJ Guitry the announce
ment came as a surprise, for he says he
is engaged upon the following manu-
scripts, all of which will be published in
book form within a short time:
One volume of poems; history of
Greece i'm IL volumes; a novel with the
scenes laid in Burmah and dealing with
the manners and customs of that place;
drama in four acts; a tragedy in three
acts; a fairy play in three acts and his
memoirs in Al volumes.
In a few days M. Fallieres will pay an
official visit to Bern, the capital of the
Swiss confederation. He will naturally
take presents with him and bring others
back In exchange Among the latter the
Swiss have appropriately included a
chronometer as a specimen of their great
est national industry But 1t will be no
ordinary tmepiece. 1t will be indeed the
most wonderful watch in the world. 1t
is, to begin with. a perfect chronome-
ter, with a dial six feet in, diameter, but
it's size Is not its only wonder. The
face is circular f1ower-bed in which
nothing can be seen but anemones, pam
sizes, violets and asters. The Roman fig
ures on the dial are marked in flowers,
and the hands are narrow beds of flow
ers. They duly revolve and point the
hours All the flowers in the wonderful
clock are growing in mould in boxes of
the required shape. Those containing
blossoms forming the hands naturally
revolve on pivots. The flower chronome-
ter will be placed in the garden of the
Palace OF the ElySee. Wnetner the head
gardener will consider 1t with approval
is uncertain. Watering the flowers of the
chronometer, for instance, will be tick
lish job.
A Paris artist named Francis Me-
daille murdered his wife last Saturday
on the steps of the Palace of Justice,
where she had successfully defied the
mans demand to be given his 17-year-o old
daughter.
The girl herself pleaded to be allowed
to live with her mother on account OF
her fathers violent and brutal charac-
ter. The judge granted the girl her re-
quest.
The father left the court and waited
for his wife outside the door, Then he
fired five shots at her in quick succession
and the woman fell dying with her un-
happy husband and her daughter weep
ing passionately over her
The artist who was roughly handled
by the crowd, is now in the Sante prison
A much-tred prisoner in France is one
called Grand, who, If the guillotine ever
has its way with him, will depart this
life with more death sentences pro.
nounced on him than any recent criminal
Nearly two years ago he was sentenced
to death by a court martial in the south
by default while a fugitive from justice
Meanwhile he had time to commit Other
crimes entailing death penalties and be
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