Year: 1878

Master Sloane, of Clinton, ILL.,, invented
trap on the principle of those used in
Africa for trapping game-,that is to say,
he constructed slip-noose of thongs, and
attached it to the top of stout Saplng,
which he bent down by the aid of hoist
ing tackle and fastened it to the ground
And this was the result:


Master Sloane had a sister, young lady
of great worth and Of very decided charac-
ter. Other girls, who were enyious of her
beauty, said she was an ill-tempered, red
haired thing, but this was probably mere
calumny. At all events so thought the
young minister who was settled over the
Seventeenth Congregational church, and
who was generally believed to be Miss
Sloane's accepted lover. That he went to
see Miss Sloane on the very evening when
the reckless boy set his central Africa tran
was not strange, for he usually spent three
or four evenings every week at the Sloane
mansion but it was coincidence that on
that precise evening he proposed walk,
and led Miss Sloane toward the identical
lane were the trap was waiting for victims.


How it happened that neither the young
minister nor Miss Sloane noticed the bent
sapling OF the rope, no one can understand
unless they were so deeply engaged in the
discussion of theological questions that they
were oblivious to all earthly things. Still
more difficult is it to comprehe d how they
could both have stepped within the moose,
which was spread out in the form of a cir.
Gle not more than a foot in diameter. II is
plain, however, that the lady was reading a
hymn-book and that her companion had
approached extremely close to her in order
to see if the hymn was correctly printed.
However this may be, the fact remains that
Miss Sloane's left foot and the ministers
right foot were just within the moose when
the trap sprung, and the elastic sapIing lifted
them'twenty feet into the air, where they
remained hanging like two cherries on a
single stem, and expressing in lively tones
their suspicion that something unusual had
happened.


Half an hour later the Clinton and Holmes
vile stage passed that way, and the driver
and his passengers were astonished beyond
measure. For some time it was supposed
that some new and curiously complicated
animal, consisting chiefly of zebra and
panther, was swinging from the top of the
sapling; but just as one of the passengers
was about to fire at it, the driver recognized
the minister, though he was not able tc
recognize his fellow prisoner. The latter's
voice was somewhat muf1ied, but she was
distinctly heard to revile the minister. an6
to assert that she never would forgive him
no matter how he might try to excuse him
self. Six strong men finally bent down the
sapling,. released the victims, and with rare
delicacy assigned the duty of recognizing
Miss Sloane to the ladies who were in th6
stage. Fortunately, neither of Master
Sloane's victims We're seriously injured, anC
were both able to walk home on opposite
sides of the streets.


The results of this affair were numerous
Miss Sloane left town next day on visit tc
the East, and has not since returned The
minister was tried for indiscreetly hanging
from the tops of trees with young ladies
and thereby bringing reproach upon his
profession, but was acquitted by a close
vote AS for Master Sloane, it is believed
and hoped that his father killed him. Al
any rate, he has not been seen, and the ru,
NOR that lie has been sent to the house of
refuge in Chicago is not generally belived -
" Y. Tribune