The Washington herald., 1917-01-02
Interesting Chats
From Hotel Lobbies

mo one can spend two weeks in
this country without being impressed
with its wonderful prosperity" said Rus
sci A. Rogers. of Coulburn. New South
Wales, Australia, at the New Willard
yesterday.
'T have just come from New York,
where I maryeiied at the money which
was spent In the csbarets and restau-
rants, and now find IN. Washington
everybody celebrating New Year and
ready and anxious to spend thousands In
the hotels for nerriment and pleasure.
IL 10 all the more Impressive" contin-
ued Mr.. Rogers. because the cou OF,
living In this country Ia easily three
, times as great AZ IN my country.
II note the prohibition question is very
acute in this country" said Mr.. Rogers.
discussing the sentiment for, dry"
country. which he declares has been a
! momentous question In all OF the cities
which he has visited.
TN Australia the prohibition movement
has not made much progress because in
the states where II has been Instituted
II has been more or less Of a failure. ]
have no personal feelings one way or
the other on the question. but my honest
opinion IL that where II has been in
effect In Australia II has not proven
success. Probably this IL because Il 10
I'VE have recently put into effect an
order that closes the saloons at .. m.
This was due 10 the soldiers IN the camps
who were accustomed TO coming into the
cities. hlline up with liquor and failing
/ to report.
Mr.. Rogers stated that a great majority
OF people in Australia had an extremely
friendly feeling for the people Of the
United States.
Il can't say the same for their feelings
| toward the Wilson administration, and
this is not hard TO understand" he added.
Every time that ex-President Roose-
welt had anything TO say against the
present administration. II has been ca bled
IN full to Australia The result has been
campaign Of 5fdicuie and criticism. ana
President Wilson's big gun has been de-
/ picted as typewriter Personally. feeI
| that all thinking men realize that the
| President has done great work as a neu-
trail. and know from observation in thi.
country that the bulk Of the general SEN
unent is pro-aIly."
II never think OF January I, but IT re-
calls the effort made some years ago tn
make an unfortunate man a New Year
present OF his life" said J. A. Comedian.
of Boston, at the Raleigh Hotel yester-
day.
1T was in the days that Massachusetts
/ had decided to abolish hanging as the
punishment for murder and Luigi Storti.
an tluterate Italian, was the FIRST man
scheduled to pay the penalty for homicide
in the electric chair" continued Mr. Con-
nellan. There was much sympathy ex-
pressed for his plight, because the cir
cumstances leading UP to the murder of
the man who betrayed his sister were
particularly pathetic
| Among those who took a deep interest
in Storti's case was an eminent hysician
who had made a study Of electricity in
its relation to medicine He was con-
WINGED then. and is to this day. that If
he could get the body of an electrocuted
man within thirty minutes after heart
his theory being that respiration and
circulation were temporarily paraIyzed by
| an acute electrical shock
| ITO demonstrate this theory IL was
| arranged to have the body Of Storti de-
| livered to his relatives Immediately after
his electrocution. II was then to be
rushed to a laboratory and work begun
/ to restore life.
"Storti was electrocuted the first
week OF the new year. He met his
death manfully. not having been sc-
quainted of the efforts planned to re-
store him to life. and after eXsmina-
tion he was pronounced oficially dead
and the sentence Of the court consum-
mated.
| Immediately after the legal wit
nesses had departed. demand was made
upon the warden for the body. A
wagon was waiting outside to rush il
to the laboratory. Warden Bridges
never said whether he had learned of
the plans to make this unique expert
ment, but he refused to deliver the
body until a. m. The execution had
| taken place one minute after mid
night
| 'Of course, the experiment was never
made. 1t was too late when the body
was consigned TO relatives to attempt
it But l have often thought had the
experiment been made and been a sue
cess. what would have been the legal
status Of Luigi Storti? He had been
officially declared dead. In the eyes
of the law he had paid the full penalty
of his crime. Could the State have
taken him again after restoration to
! life?
1T was the most unique New Year
| gift ! have ever heard discussed.
often regret that the experiment was
not made in the interest of Storti as