Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1913-10-15

less laughter arose in response to the
Yankee news The British press
modified It's first comment to the
statement that 1T certainly begins to
look as though there was a vein OF
truth after all In the wild west story
Of the American Flying Man. One
French paper remarked in parenthesis
that Should America announce fly
ing submarine, France should not be
surprised to see the announcement
fulfilled, as one must be prepared to
expect anything from America" From
Latin Europe came the hope that
their first comment was correct, while
the stole German said 1--WE are still
unconyinced. The whole thing is
absolutely unscientific.' But mean
while throughout the civilized world
there ran an undercurrent Of horror
and sympathy resulting from the trag-
edy which was alleged to have taken
place upon the great western plateau.
AS for the father OF the missing child.
he raved night and day In the obses-
sion that she would be dropped
through the roof as the stone had
been, while the bereft mother wan
dered about speechless, and dumb and
to all intents practically thoughtless.
But that an uncanny menace hung
heavily over their heads those-at
least those who abode near the scene
Of the tragedy no longer doubted.
Their normal reasoning faculties once
more controlled them and man to
man, family to family and concourse
to concourse they talked the matter
over gravely. The probity OF the eye
witnesses Of the first appearance OF
the apparition was not to be ques-
toned nor their saneness disputed.
Also, Farmer Jones was an intelligent,
truthful man. his wife a Christian
woman and the disappearance OF their
daughter inexplicable except one be-
lieved the story OF the now practically
insane father. The mayor and city
council deemed it matter Of sufh-
cient Importance to summon all wit
nesses into their chamber, and before
them there appeared in answer to the
summons the persons who had seen
him with their own eyes. One by one
they corroborated each other with an
earnestness and fidelity Of detail that
convinced all hearers that no halluci
lnation-the only possible explanation
Of their story heretofore II one did not
believe it-lay behind their steady
eyes and voices. Cross-questioned by
skilled lawyers both separately and In
each others presence. their answers
were Invariably the same. The Fly
ing Mans wings had a spread OF from
twenty-five to thirty-five feet, the best
judges of distance among the wit
nesses agreeing on about thirty feet.
They we're dark colored, filmy. bat
like and folded up somewhat similar
to q fan. The man himself was slen-
der OF body and ysinewy of limbs rath-.
er than muscular He was from six
to eight feet tall-probably about
several any rate much taller than
any OF those who had fought him on
the lawn: His eyes were twice the
size OF humans and / protruding,
sometimes glowing like dim carriage.
lights in mist and more or less
changeful In hue. He was Of q brown
or reddish color, his features half
manlike, but his lips and canine teeth
were more those Of a gorilla. And
then when they were through with
their questions. on top OF all this
mass OF corroborative evidence Des-
mond quietly laid the blood analysis
OF the two experts who had made 1t
before others Of their profession. They.
remained mistaken in their conviction
of its accuracy.
Beyond all question, not only was
the particular community over which
the Flying Man now lowered menaced
as no city ever had been before, but
the state itself, In fact the whole ma
ton was threatened, since he could.
extend his operations as far as he
chose in any direction. Nor could the
extent of his capabilities to inflict
damage be easily calculated, inasmuch
as they did not know the power Of his
mentality beyond the fact that he GER
tainly possessed an intelligence equal
at least to the lower order Of human
beings-his dropping the stone proved
that. Not only could he steal children,
murder men and women and destroy
property and life by bombardment
from above, but far greater possibili-
ties for destruction were within his
power, should he avail himself of
them. Scattered all over the land in
mining camps, upon railroad construc-
ton, upon canal work. upon sewer
work-in fact, in a thousand places
throughout the country where exca-
waiting and blasting were going on,
were great quantities Of dynamite and
other high explosiyes-epough to
blow cities from the face OF the earth
and warships to the bottom of the
sea. All he had to do was to soar
about until he came upon such scene
Of operations, watch his chance to
pounce down upon a quantity Of some
explosive and then from on high be-
gin his work Of death and destruction.
Warships would be futile against him,
since he could either keep away from
them or attack them in the darkness
of midnight. Armies would be Of no
avail, for he could be here today and
hundreds Of miles away tomorrow.
and inasmuch as yhe had the whole