Year: 1876

sponsor for these two yarns.


A REMARKABLE COINCIDENCE.


A great many remarkable coinci-
dences have happened in the world, some
of them so extremely appropos that
only the light of subsequent events rem
dered it possible to distinguish them
from cause and effect. OF this de-
scription was the first incident related
below. The other was a sort of CON-
pound coincidence, so to speak, con-
sisting in the agreement of several
parts, the climax, however, arising
from the purchase of a couple of bot
ties of wine from two persons who were
supposed to be the same. Both events
occurred in St. Louis, and the latter oc-
casioned no little excitement at the
time.


A number of years ago, VIXEN spirit
ualism was much more prevalent in st.
Louis than now, and large orgahiza-
ton of believers held weekly meetings
in the small hall of the Mercantile Lii
brary (now the reading-room), mixed
company of friends used to gather on
Sunday afternoons at a well known
ulHS Oh
for social converse. One of the num-
Der was an enthusiastic Spiritualist and
several others were on the fence, with
about an equal chance as to which side
they would jump off on. The subject was
frequently broached at the gatherings,
and one Sunday the discussion grew
pretty warm between the Spiritualist
and one who was a believer in orthO-
dox Christianity. The former taxed
the latter with closing his eyes to egi-
dence; and with being so blinded by
prejudice that he could not be convinced
by any test that might be given him,
even the most marked one of his own
selection. The other replied that all
the tests of which he had ever heard,
were either given in the dark, or under
such circumstances as favored the idea
of preparation, if not collusion. Now,
said he, there is one test that might be
given right here, in broad daylight and
in the presence of dozen disinterested
spectators, which would satisfy me be-
yond doubt of the truth of the spirit
ual doctrine. Let the spirits, at your
command, and without any visible
agency, break that large plate glass
(pointing to a window of single pane)
and l will believe. The Spiritualist
thus challenged-and without the slight
est idea of the event happening, as he
afterwards admitted-exclaimed aloud
in q melodramatic manner, elf there
are any spirits present, let them mani
fest themselves by breaking that
Tho yr-a,-a
tered before bang! went the glass, with
sound like the report of small can
non. The glass was not only broken,
it was pulverized. No blow, however
violent, could have so utterly demOl-
ished it. The company were thunder
struck, and for moment in consterna-
ton. The gentleman who had proposed
the test, as the foundation of his belief,
was so far from being convinced that
he Immediately began to seek for ma
tural causes for the phenomenon, which
he soon discovered in the settling of
the building having caused degree of
pressure on the glass which it was un-
able to sustain. The Spiritualist was
disgusted, and quoted on his contu-
macious opponent the familiar verse,
" Neither would you believe, though
one rose from the dead" An investi-
CATION showed that another window in
the same front was subjected to the same
pressure, and was in danger of sharing
the same fate. Before a remedy could
be applied, it, too, was broken in like
manner with the other, showing beyond
a doubt that the cause was natural
one. The first instance was merely ga
coincidence.


A FATAL RESEMBLANCE.


Instances of mistaken identity have
not been by any means rare, but it is
doubtful is one more notable than the
following ever occurred. In a drug
store not far from the courthouse was
a clerk named D, and at a promi
nent hotel not far away the book-keeper
bore the same name. They were cous
ms, but had never met, nor was either
even aware of the others existence.
They were the sons of brothers who had
been separated by thousands of miles
since their childhood. DR.. H,
prominent physician of the city, board
ed at the hotel indicated and traded at
the drugstore. He knew both men in
yet their resemblance was so
great that he had always consid-
cred them as one. As he ex-
planned, after the catastrophe related
below, he had thought the drug clerk
was merely keeping the books of the
hotel for his board, an arrangement by
no means uncommon at that time. One
day the drug clerk was sent to the ply
sician with a bill for bottle of wine,
which had been charged to him, but the
latter said he had paid for it, and sent
the bill back. The same day he had
also purchased bottle of wine at the
hotel. A few hours afterwards he met
the proprietor and spoke little petu
lantly to him about sending bill for a
bottle of wine which he had already
paid for. The landlord was little sur
prised and sent for the book-keeper TO
explain what it meant. The latter on
being interrogated denied positively
having ever presented any such bill.
The physician became furious at what
he considered such an impudent denial,
and charged the young man with hav-
ing intended to defraud him of the price
of the wine, and, when detected,
with trying to lie himself out of it. The
landlord took the same view of the
case, and the result, after much alter
cation, was, that the book-keeper was
in disgrace. He shortly
afterwards walked into the bar-room
of the hotel, and going behind the
counter took large drink of brandy,
and, seeing a revolver lying on the
shelf, seized it, and putting the muzzle
to his breast, pulled the trigger and
fired ball directly through his heart
He fell on the floor and instantly ex-
pired, without having uttered word.
1t was only on seeing the drug clerk
still alive that the physician realized
the terrible mistake he had made. The
matter proved so on his mind that he
left the city and never returned


The Rev. J. B. NJ. Genin, Catho-
lio 1,riaat uhO has for ten wears been a