The Sunday Oregonian., February 16, 1908, Magazine Section, Page 10, Image 52

THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAN. PORTLAND, FEBRUARY 16, 1908.
10
law
(iencral Trepoff, one time chief of
the St. Petersburg police, ranks with
the must famous detectives In the
Itussian empire, lie was in control
of the secret service ' department of
the police of Kt. I'ctershurg during
the lawless period .extending from
IK-."! to 10. He seems to have
been successful In this difficult posi
tion because he won the -warm com
mendation of the t'zar, and at the
same time, the h-arly detestation of
the people. His immediate prede
cessor was assassinated and his own
life was In danger on more than one
occasion. Vera Zassolic, a young
nihilist, shot at him while ho was
seated In his office In the early part
of issn. Trepoff was seriously in
jured but recovered tand soon after
that was honored by the t'zar who
made him a councilor of state.)
IN THE early part of March, 1SK7, the
Oar of all the Russia determined, .as
a mark of confidence In the loyalty of
Ills subjects, that he would drive in sjate
from the Cathedral of St. Sophia to tho
Winter palace at St. Petersburg.
The. importance of this simple state
ment may he understood when the reader
is reminded that for a period of years
the nihilists af that unhappy, country had
been making determined efforts to take
the life of the ' emperor. Only three
months before It was announced that the
Czar, while out hunting, met with an
accident In which he was seriously injur
ed. It Is significant that several person's
who were near the scene of the "ac
cident" were Immediately arrested. One
was hanged and the other transported
4 n WKarlu Auriln t.lmi-fi hni4 hoc, on 'nc-
I'idental" explosion in the Winter palace
while tho Czar was attending a state
dinner. Nothing ever came of this Inci
dent nlthough it wag proven later that
nihilists had entered the palace disguised
as plumbers.
Now. however, it was believed In high
official circles that the country was to
enter upon an era of internal peace. The
emperor issued a manifesto of concilia
tion. Arrears of taxes were remitted;
certain criminals were released from pri
son; exiles to Siberia had their life sen
tence commuted to 20 years of prison
servitude. The nihilists, on hearing this,
were passive but unsatisfied. They had
clamored for certain constitutional ri eht
which were denied them. Nevertheless,
it was determined by ofiicialdom that the
Ozar should celebrate the return of "the
era of good feeling" by a public appear
ance In the capitol of the nation. The
time agreed upon was Sunday, March
13. 1SS7.
Five days before that date a cadet in
one of the military schools a young
man with royal blood In his veins, and a
prince of a reigning house of Kurope
killed himself. The tragic act was at
tributed to melancholia due to a hopeless
love affair. It would be. supposed that a
small romance of this sort would be left
to the district police.
Not so. At this stage of the narrative
there enters upon tho scene M. Trepoff.
a general in the army, the chief of the
secret police of St. Petersburg, and one
of the favorites of the Czar. He was a
burly man. brusque in manner and not
over nice 1n his methods. Hated by the
people, ho treated their attitude with
supreme indifference. Whatever his dis
position, he possessed the unerring In
stincts of the real detective. His investi
gation of tho littlo cadet's suicide was
characteristically prompt. It developed
a startling fnct. It can be stated in a
single sentence.
The -nihilists of St. Petersburg had de
termined to assassinate the Czar on Sun
day. March IS, 1S87.
One of the fanctionarics attached to
Hie palace heard rumors of the plot and
rushed to General Trepoff.
"It is unsafe for His Majesty tf ven
ture out. Shall wo countermand the or
der for the procession?"
The chief of tho secret service an
swered with an expression of annoyance:
"The programme Is to be carried out as
arranged down to the smallest detail."
But"
Trepoff interrupted the speaker by
French Inventor
, BT HENRY FARM AX.
(Translated from le Monde Modern.)
I HAVE always thought that the future
of aerial navigation belonged to the
"heavier than air," and that the fly
ing machine was destined to supplant
the balloon. I am of this opinion today
more than ever. The dirigible balloon
has been pushed practically to the cli
max of its possibilities. It will possibly
succeed in making seven or eight miles
more an hour, but in my judgment that
is all we may expect of it. It is not a
mechanical means of locomotion, it is a
mass born aloft by means of gas and
then driven forward by. means of a pro
peller. It remained to be determined
whether the problem of the "heavier
than air" was capable of solution; for my
own part I believe that the problem has
now been solved. I may add that, how
ever things- turn out, a dirigible balloon
costs always a great sum 300.000 or 400.
000 francs, not counting the successive
supplies of gas while my flying machine
costs me ali told only 30,000 francs, and
would cost only half as much could
such vehicles be turncci out wholesale.
I admit tiiat the building of this ap
paratus was a big job. It was neces
sary to make the different parts as light
as possible and to find a motor affording
the maximum of power with the mini
mum of bulk and weight. I pass over
the details of construction, which would
be boresome to the reader. As for my
attempts, they were numberless.
It really seems to me that all the ma
chines built before mine, were lacking in
stability. At all events, whenever they
have succeeded in leaving the ground
they have smashed themselves on alight
ing. It is well known that hitherto I
have met with no accident worthy, the
name. Two months, now, I have been
experimenting with my aeroplane, and I
have accomplished numerous jumps and
(lights. The flying machine I use- Is of
the cubical type; that Is to say. it is
composed of two canvas cubes a big
one hi front, measuring 12 meters In
length, two In width, and two In height;
a. smaller one behind, linked to the
front one by wooden crossrods. The
whole is completed by a "fuselage." or
pointed beskct, in which are the motor,
the reservoirs, the driver's seat, the ap
paratus to control the motor, and the
rudders. In front of this fuselage is
placed the helght-and-depth rudder, at
the rear the rudder properly so called.
If it may Interest the reader. I am pre
pared to Imitate, him. In a ' fi'w words,
into the mystery of flying machine navi
gation. These, then. are. the parts to
look after; the two rudders, the spark
ing plug, the carbureter, and the appar
atus governing the pressure of gasoline
and that of water. 1 have to move my
body to right or left according as the
machine leans in one directon or tho otl
er. I don't want to seem Irritable,
though I must say that the onlookers
have often bothered nie in my experi
ments and hampered- my movements. It
is Important during a flight to watch over
tho explosions witiiin the motor, fur the
banging his heavy fist on the desk be-
fore him.
"I take all of the responsibility. If it
Is necessary to make any change, I shall
inform the Czar in person."
By Saturday, March 12, the General
had a regiment of men at work. The
mildesfmannered person in St. Peters
burg was considered, fit subject for sus
picion. Innumerable arrests were made,
and some of thes were upon such flimsy
basis that even the rigor of Russian po-
licedom could not justify their detention.
Hourly reports were handed in to den-
eral Trepoff. He devoured these wltn
eager Interest, pursing up his shaggy eye
browsand thinking all the while. Tres?
ently one of his officers brought In a
printed circular a sort of proelamatloiv
and this bit of paper was given more at
tention than any of the regular reports.
After that ne sent out' other squads of
police, and they. In return. brought in
other reports. There was great activity
at the secret pcrvioe quarters, but. it
must be confessed, not much positive evi
dence of the alleged conspiracy.
It was the. ev of Sunday, March 13.
One of the personal attendants of the
rv.ar called on General Trepoff.
rwn-t vnu think it would be wise to
nostnone the procession tomorrow?"
Trepoff raised those eloquent eyebrows
in surprise.
"What." he cried, "and confess to tho
world that the Emperor of Russia fears
to nivncar In the streets of his capital.'
"V " Jirnteated the other, "but the
Az fl ITfrV "
Th rtancer is for me to consider," he
said, each word carefully measured.
. The messenger bit his lips in per
plexlty. The chief of the secret serv
ice looked up suddenly.
"Hoes the Czar know of the p't?"
"No: not a word: but he is timid."
"Reassure him. Tell him that Tre
poff says there is no danger that he
will guarantee the saieiy oi n mj
estv."
"All right," replied the attache, bow
ing himself frcm the room.
Late on the night preceding: the pro
cession an inoffensive-looking youns
woman was arrested and lodged in
jail. Karly on the morning of the his
toric day several compositors and edi
tors aooarently innocent of any
wrong were taken into custody. Still
those who surrounded the Czar were
apprehensive. An hour before the time
thev appealed to Trepoff. He gave
them a curt but comprehensive answer:
"Let the procession proceed.
The route over which the Czar trav
eled was lined with police. They stood
alone. In. pairs and in -squads. They
were conspicuous and yet not unduly
so, for hundreds of them in plain
clothes mingled freely with the people.
Just before the parade started Tre
poff arrested four students. "They were
young men waiting to see tne royai
show. The people protested against
the arres-t as an outrage, but the griz
zled head of the St. Petersburg police
grinned and said nothing. Indeed, the
calm demeanor of the prisoners seemed
to justify the protest of the people.
One of the men carried a book under
his arm, evidently, from the gilt let
tering on the outside, a devotional vol
, ume; another had a green bag contain
ing- legal documents: the third, appar
ently with a desire to got a good look
at the Czar, carried a pair of opera
glasses, while the. fourth had nothing
unusual about his person, unless a roll
of music be so regarded. They were
hustled off to the neasest police sta
tion and In a minute the curious mul
titude, accustomed -to constant police
interference, forgot all about the inci
dent. Simultaneously six persons were
beings arrested at Paulvonia on the Fin
nish railroad.
Tens of thousands of the people stood
on the sidewalks on that chill, gray
Starch morning, awaiting the gorgeous
procession. It came, presently, with the
Czar in an open barouche, seated with
one of the Ministers of State. His Maj
esty was attire'd in semi-military dress,
and If he felt any apprehension, did
not betray it. The official who accom
panied him glanced furtively about as
If constantly expecting the unexpected.
The Czar bowed to the right and the
left and received in return cold, curi
ous stares from the people. If they
felt any enthusiasm they did not show
it. Was their silence intended as a
mark of respect for their sovereign ?
Writes of Aeroplane Exploits
I least weakening on its part will fetch
me to the ground. All this is pretty
complicated and pretty difficult, yet all
I lack Is skill and practice. t With time
and perseverance I am convinced that
I shall acquire them. Besides, flying
machines are daily approaching nearer to
perfection, thanks to 'constant modifi
cations, and will soon demand much less
in the way of precaution and address.
To leave the ground is by no means
easy, but to fly is far more difficult. I
have left the ground -every day for two
months, yet it is only lately that I could
lay claim to a real flight. To leave the
ground you must first dash along at top
speed against the wind; then, when you
feel you have got some grip on it, you
must lift the height-and-depth rudder. I
believe that the yank must be given only
at the last moment, and just there Is the
crux of the problem of elevation. When
the front cube takes a good hold on the
air, and you feel yourself almost lifted.
then, and not till then, must you lift the
height-and-depth rudder. At that mo
ment its action produces no violent Jerk
and Its success is certain. My first flight
was one of 2S5 meters, demolishing the"
record established by M. Santos-Dumont.
Unfortunately my record was not offici
ally registered: I cared little about that,
for I was convinced that I should soon
achieve still more interesting flights. In
fact, a few days later I succeeded in
making 400 meters, then 600, and finally
771. That Ume the official registry of
the record wsa obtained. Moreover, I
sustained no appreciable accident, nor
was my apparatus damaged. Further
more. It kept an absolutely horizontal
position.
At present I am unable to fly more than
a kilometre, since the field of maneuvers
is no longer than that.
A very important point is the regulation
of the motor. When I have mastered that
completely. I shall have made a great
gain In the way of speed; in the first
place this increase will serve to compen
sate for the errors in steering that are
inevitable at the beginning; in the next
place It will play a fine part in the gen
eral running of the apparatus.
I have succeeded in gaining sufficient
control of my machine to he able to se
cure what seemed to me in the .early
stages of my experiments to be the most
difficult point i. e., diriglbility white in
the air. ability to round a curve and to
fly in other than a straight line., On the
'Jth of November I succeeded in veering
around and flying in a direction opposite
to that in which I had set out. It was a
mild and slightly misty day. The wind
was coming at me from the entrance to
the field of maneuvers at. Issy-les-MouIl-neaux.
where at present my experiments
are conducted. I started, you understand,
against the wind and my motor ran fine
ly: within the drat few meters I felt
the flying machine take hold of the air,
and soon I reached the height of about
ten meters. Arriving almost at the gate
of the field, I made my first turn; then, a
tew meters further on, I turned again so
as to double on my tracks, and touched
ground iO meters from my point of de
parture. 1 was overjoyed when I had thus
X. General Trepoff and the Russian Students
An onlooker from another country
would not have so regarded it. The
procession moved quickly and safely
j to the Winter palace. It had been ac
complished without a single mishap of
any kind. The telegraph carried the
news to all quarters of the world the
Czar had appeared in. public and re
ceived the homage of his people. The
day of assassination was past, and the
delusion , of a contented people was
hugged by the autocratic ruler.
But things were different In the fa
mous ''Third Section." as the secret
police arecalled. General Trepoff was
there arranging in consecutive form
the result of Ave days of hard work.
virtually won the Deutsch-Archdeacon
prize of 50,000 francs, though it is not yet
mine, for this record was without official
stamp. MM. Deutsch and Archdeacon
have surrounded their prize with the fol
lowing stipulations: The winner must
start from a pre-determined point; he
must steer around a flag placed 500 me
ters from the start; and he must come
back to within 50 meters' from the 'point
he set out from all this by aeroplane, of
course, and without touching the ground;
then will each of the amiable Maecenases
write him a check for 50,000 francs. I ac
complished this mechanical flight in 7
seconds. As my aeroplane was going at a
speed of 13.5 meters a second, a simple
multiplication shows that I covered a dis
tance of 999 meters. I may almost ven
ture to say that it was a kilometer. On
alighting I felt proud and happy. There
were a large number of spectators, among
them several renowned sportsmen Arch
deacon. Bleriot, Gabriel and Charles Voi
sin, Henri and Marcel Kapferer, de Fay
olle, Risse, Bulsson, Humphrey, Dela
grange, etc. Everybody applauded with
handclapplng, and wild cheering, and
many rushed up to shake hands with me.
Their enthusiasm carried me away com
pletely. I felt electrified and capable of
any feat; so, despite the late hour and
the mist it was almost night I resolved
to fly again, and turning toward my ap
paratus, I said to my friends. "I'm going
to try to beat that." I succeeded in going
up again and was able to make two turns,
the one after the other, thus describing
in the air a gigantic S. Unhappily the
water in my motor began to boil and I
had to come down.
The reason that I so long made only
short flights was this: The height to
which I managed to ascend was insuffi
cientI was unable to reach the 12-meter
level which is essential to a flight of a
kilometer and more. In fact, wlterc I rose
a little, twp alternatives presented them
selves: either my motor lacked power to
keep my machine at the desired height or
I handled my height and depth rudder so
clumsily that I had to descend. But I was
not disheartened, for I told myself that
with time and perseverance I should ac
quire the necessary skill. .The facts have.
shown I was right.
It's strange, but one's- emotions grow
more acute as one advances in experience.
My first bounds of 100 to 200 meters yield
ed no excitement other than that involved
in the thrill of success the pleasure was
unmingled with fear; now, however, I
confess to an occasional quiver. I have
learned to understand what risks I am
taking. At the heights to which I ascend,
a tumble would be deadly.
Shall I venture to say that my hopes
for the future of aerial navigation are
boundless? I expect one day I can't say
Just when to succeed in flying 100 kilo
meters an hour, for I believe that in prin
ciple the problem is solved. Ere long,
that will be no more difficult than is the
attainment of a similar speed by motor
cars. I hope that within two years or
less, with machines differing only slightly
from mine, we shall be able to go 200
kilometers an hour at an altitude as great
as those reached by dirigible balloons
Here Is the story of what had been
going on behind the scenes, the knowl
edge of which had been so carefully
kept from the Czar.
The first clew came In a most casual
manner. One night a couple of men in
a restaurant on the Nevsky had" at
tracted atteiition by their earnest whis
pered' conversation. During part of the
talk the name o.f the Czxr and the date,
March 13, had been overheard. That
was enough. Detectives placed on their
tracks followed' them like bloodhounds.
On the eve of the fateful 13th one
of the men met a woman in the streets
of St. Petersburg and had a hurried
conversation with her. Five minutes
whjch means that we shall easily go from
Paris to Rouen in an hour and a half.
When I select the figure of 200 kilometers
an hour in speaking of our present ap
paratus, it is because the problem of the
quantity of gasoline we can take with us
in the flying machine has an Immense
importance, which there is no danger of
over-emphasizing; at present' my aero
plane carries enough for that speed and
that distance, but is unable to carry more.
' This problem of the quantity of gaso
line is not beyond solution; I believe we
shall soon begin to solve it and that its
solution will be followed by a whole se
ries of modifications in the same direc
tion. When those modifications are suf
ficient to allow us to go 12 hours with
out taking new fuel aboard, we shall be
ready for the trip from Paris to St. Pe
tersburga 27-hour journey (100 kilome
ters an hour) allowing two stops for new
fuel. One stop would in any case be
necessary, for you can't expect to fly by
night without losing your way.
On the other hand, I regard as quite
impossible at least for a long time to
come the trip from Paris to New York.
It is out of the question to carry enough
fuel for the two or three days that, at a
minimum, would be required for crossing
the Atlantic. Besides, there will always
remain the defects of steering, which in
this particular case would be more seri
ous than when you are flying over dry
land. .
What, now. Is to be the flying machine
of the future? As regards Its form It
will probably be of various types, but
the materials used In its construction will
doubtless be different from those em
ployed today. Canvas, I believe, will
long be used as material for the "wings."
Materials for the frame will soon be
found wood -being replaced by bamboo,
which is both stronger and lighter. The
great difficulty is that of workmanship.
No European craftsman as yet under
stands how to work in bamboo, though
the necessary skill -can be acquired with
comparative ease.
The motor, meanwhile, will have to be
made lighte. This. I am convinced, will
be achieved in several ways, too technical
for elucidation here. In any case, th
future motor will be extremely light, con
sidering Its power. And the weight thus
saved will enable us to carry a heavier
load of fuel.
As regards size, we must consider
three cases first the flying machine for
a single aeronaut, as at present In use.
Before long we shall have the flying ma
chine built for two. and this will be a
great gain, for in case of weakness or
fatigue as the result of a long voyage, or
in case observations have to be taken,
the presence of two persons In the fuse
lage will be highly advantageous. .
Finally,- in a future whose nearness or
remoteness I can't predict, there will be
flying machines each capable of carrying
quite a ship's company at once. The
English had this In mind when they
promised to send a flying house across
the channel in 1908. I need hardly add
that this was a British joke, werthy of
the humorless kinsmen of Mark Twain.
At all events, though we may some day
contrive to build flying machines capable
of carrying a lot of people at a time, we
shall still have to deal with the ticklish
problem of making them strictly stable.
m W
after they separatde the woman was
placed under arrest. A search of her
person revealed a large quantity of
nihilistic proclamations, all calling .for
the death of the Czar. She was literal
ly loaded down with the documents
which were being distributed to those
In the conspiracy. She admitted that
the young cadet who had committed
suicide had been selected to assassi
nate the Emperor. But when he real
ized the meaning of his assignment he
killed himself. She stopped at this
stage of her -confession. Neither per
suasion nor torture nor threats of death
would induce her to give the names of
the others concerned in the plot.
Girls Plan Clearing House for Sweethearts
A clearing-house for Cupid, with a State
Superintendent of Public Instruction, and
a Judge of the Municipal Court champion
ing its cause, has been organized by the
daughters of wealthy families of Oak
Park, 111., a fashionable residence suburb
of Chicago.
Dearth of opportunity for choosing hus
bands, together with what Is denominated
Inartistic courting in Chicago, is respon
sible for the establishment of the clearing-house.
' It Is proposed to remedy con
dition with all possible speed.
The educator, who declares Chicago's
young men and women know nothing
about the fine art of loremaking, der
manda that courtship be taught in the
public schools, "just as arithmetic is
taught." He declares such a course is a
necessity.
The Jurist demands the enactment of a
law governing courtship. He says that
kind of law would abolish the crime of
wife, desertion.
The girls who are back of the move
ment, which, in reality, Is intended to
rob the divorce court of patronage, plan
to get "acquainted and help other young
women get acquainted" with, "lots of
young men," so that each may have a
better chance than formerly to find her
affinity "before marriage, not after."
In this effort to enthrone the diety of
love In a city that is notorious for the
great number of Its divorces. Miss Jewel
Busse took the lead. She is not related
to Mayor Frederick A. Brusse, but is the
daughter of a wealthy manufacturer. She
has a dimple in either check and a twinkle
in her bright blue eyes.
Miss Busse and about forty of her fem
inine friends in the younger set of Oak
Park society formed an organization
which they named Cupid's Club. That was
the nucleus of Cupll's clearing house.
Miss Busse was elected president. Miss
Faj Ware vice-president, and Miss Clara
Scott secretary and treasurer.
"You all know what our purpose is."
said President Busse, as she unblushingly
began her executive address.
Some of the members giggled; others
solemnly nodded their heads.
"We must have a declaration of prin
ciples," continued the president, "but
and her face flushed a trifle "it is not
leap year, and we haven't the legal right
to set ourselves up as wooers."
"It's time we usurped the right," in
terrupted a rotund young woman, ris
ing from behind a big oil painting in the
parlor' of Miss Ware's home, where the
first meeting was held. As If scared by
the sound of her own voice in such a
speech, the second speaker immediately
hid herself again behind the picture.
"Speech! Spsech!" cried half a dozen
feminine voices.
Persistent calls brought -the young
member again to her feet. Not one of
the 40 will reveal her name, but any one
of them is "perfectly willing" to tell
what she said at that secret session. This
Is the way she is quoted:
"Since you must know what I think,
But Trepoff had a foundation on
which to build his case. Here was a
bit of paper. It would have to be traced
to Its origin. It was evident that an
illicit printing press had been set up
somewhere in the city. All this time
the two men who had talked incau
tlosly in the .restarant were being
followed. They were seen to enter a
house In the Jewish section. The rec
ords of the police showed that the
house was occupied by Aaron Zonde
levic. who, at one time, had been a
printer.
That was sufficient. In less than an
hour afterward the house was raided.
An officer with a squad of police broke
Into the place without notice. What
they found did not seem very damag
ing. Four persons were at home, at
the time two men and two women.
Mme. Krlloff. the head of the. house,
was a Woman of about 45 and of un
usual intelligence. The other female
was her servant. One of the men was
rather aristocratic in appearance. He
said he occupied a minor ministerial
office, and color was given to his state
ment by the portfolio -which he had In
his hand. The other man. named Lub
kln, was a consumptive, about .23 years
of age.
"Where is your printing press?'" de
manded the officer.
Madame shrugged her delinate shoul
ders and outstretched her hands In a
manner which said plainly enough that
the police were welcome to any print
ing presses they might find in that
place.
A printing press Is a bulky thing. Tt
should not be hard to find. But the offi
cers searched the house from cellar to
garret without result. All the while the
quartet sat in the large dining-room,
prisoners. On the return of the police,
tho two men and the two women were
put through the "sweating" process, but
they revealed nothing. The aristocratic
looking young man laid his portfolio
aside for a moment. One of the police
men picked -it up and opened it. Aston
ishment made him speechless. He si
lently handed the portfolio to his chief. It
was filled with manuscripts and proofs
of a prohibited nihilist paper called
Land and Liberty. The aristocratic-
looking person with the portfolio merely
srofled at - the consternation of the offi
cials. He realized the gravity of his of
fense. He knew the penalty. But he
never quailed for an instant.
"Come." shouted the chief, "you're
convicted already. You might as well
confess. Where Is the press?"
The quartet remained silent. They
were not offensive. It was the silence
of submission, but not of . fear. Sud
denly the chief gave a Shout of surprise
and pointed to the cupboard. The other
policemen followed the course indicated
by his accusing finger. They saw nothing
and their blank countenances said as
much.
"Don't you see?" almost shrieked the
official.
"No," replied the chief lieutenant.
"What Is it? "
"A daub of ink on the door of that
closet."
"A daub of ink?" repeated the other.
parrot-like and with no indication of in
telligence.
"Yes! Yes!" he retorted, "a daub of
printer's Ink."
Slowly a consciousness of the mean
ing of his words penetrated their dull
heads. At the same moment they made
a simultaneous dash for the cupboard
To their amazement thev met with re
sistance. Mme. Kriloff, her servant, the
aristocratic man of the portfolio, and
the consumptive compositor were lined
up in front of the cupboard. All were
armed and Mme. Krlloff, pointing her
pistol at the head of the chief officer,
said 'with great deliberation:
"Advance a single step 'and I'll blow
our your brains. We're desperate. Life
means little to us now. Save yours
Hero was a dilemma. The chief knew
if he made a move to reach for his pis
tol this frenzied woman would carry ou
her threat. Only two other policemen
were in the room with him. and they
were covered by the aristocrat and the
consumptive compositor. The remainder
of his men were In other parts of th
house. He backed out by degrees. It
was humiliating, but he felt that it was
politic. He must have time to think and
plan.' His two companions retreated
with him. , As they reached the cuter sill
I repeat: It's time we usurped the right.
Chicago girls are so hedged about with
conventionalities that it is no wonder
they fall in love with the first man they
meet at the seashore or Summer water
ing place. Cupid no longer has a ghost
of a chance In the city. People nowadays,
even some of the very best people, think
they have to live in horrid flats that are
Just like drygoods boxes- or else in 'mod
ern' houses that have no porches, and are
lacking In everything else presenting an
opportunity for spooning. How many of
your ever did any spooning?"
Dead silence.
"The trouble with city girls is." added
the young woman, "they don't get ac
quainted with enough young men. They
are just simply hothouse beauties, and
when their mothers pick out young men
they would like for sons-in-law and in
troduce them and them only to their
daughters. ' why, the hothouse flowers
nearly wilt in the unaccustomed sunshine
of the men's smiles and think It is love.
Perhaps we are not so situated, but
there are thousands of young women and
thousands of young men In Chicago who
have opportunities to meet almost no one
except those with whom they work in
offices' or stores. Their circle of acquaint
ances ought to be enlarged, and I pur
pose that we go about enlarging It.
"Bravo!" chorused the party, as the
speaker again hid behind the oil painting.
"Mls must have given the subject
a good deal of thought, suggested tire
president.
Then another young woman arose. She
had come prepared to make a. formal
speech, for she held the notes in her
hand.
"I'm for the old-fashioned courtship."
she began. 'There's no romance In
courtship nowadays. Young people meet
In the most formal fashion, attend formal
parties or the theater, and propose and
accept according to the cold, unfeeling
rules of etiquette. What we must do is
to conduct a campaign that shall enable
love to develop. Tho heart must'' have a
chance." '
"This meeting is like Chicago's love
making." ppoke up Vice-President Ware.
"It's altogether too formal. I move we
adjourn and talk it over."
The motion was carried. Then the
young women got together in knots and
all talked at once. The outcome was
that the club decided to send Invitations
to 40 young men to attend the cluh's first
party. Each young man was requested
to be prepared to sing a song or tell a
story, and each was informed that the
"affair" was to be Informal.
Receipt. of the Invitations was the first
inkling the young men had of the fact
that a Cupid's Club was in existence. The
name aroused their curiosity. There was
not a single declination. '
At the party the young men asked
many questions. All they could learn of
the objects of the club was that It was
organized with . a view to "getting ac
quainted." Each of the young men knew
only one or two of the hostesses when he
reached the scene of the party, hut he
knew them all as soon as introductions
of the floor the consumptive compositor
slammed the door violently, and one of
his associates bolted it. The racket
brought the other policemen to the aid
of their chier. There on the landing they
held a council of war. The besieged ni
hilists, on their part, were sparring for
time they had something to conceal or
destrov.
The house was already strongly guard
ed on the outside and the siege held out
for less than a minute. The door was
broken in and after a fierce resistance
the four nihilists surrendered, rue aris
tocrat fought like a demon and at the
ast asked ouarter only for the women.
While the police were completing their
work the consumptive compositor had a
iolent naroxvsm of eoughlng and asKea
permission to lie on a cot in a:i adjoin-
ng room.
The cupboard proved to ne a veruaoia
iirlo closet. t contained a complete
printing outfit. Needless to say. the
paraphernalia was extraordinarily simple
and adapted peculiarly to the purposes
of the conspirators. '1 nere was a largu.
cylinder covered with cloth which an
swered the requirements of a press: a
roller of a sort of gummy substance:
several fonts of type, display and other
wise; a few jars of printing ink, benzine
brushes and sponges. This was ait
packed to be taken to police headqyar- .
ters. Just as the prisoners were being
rounded up a sharp pistol shot was
heard1 from the adjoining-room. J lie
Chief hurried in and found Lubkin. the
consumptive compositor. In the death
agonies. He bad shot himself.
In half an hour s time me remaining
nrisoners and all of the facts in the case
were In the possession of General Tre
poff. He rubbed his clumsy hands wltn
satisfaction.
Move the second in the game of lire
and death.'' he muttered. "We shall
postpone our third move until morning.
Not because we like to, but because we
must."
In the morning, as already stated, tne
rrest of the four students occurred.
Their innocent-lo iking possessions were
taken from them at the police headquar
ters. The book, the green bag, the opera.
glass and the loll of music each con
tained bombs wHen were to nave oeen
thrown at the Emperor. Tncy were
stripped. On each student was found a
small vial suspended with a string from
his neck and resting against his breast.
These frail bottles each contained a most
active poison. The purpose was evident.
Failure or rerusal to do tneir irigmiui
work on the part "of either of the stu
dents would l-ave brought forth secret
agents of the . Nihilists, whose duty it
was to strike the unsuccessful or delin
quent conspi'-ator on the chest, thus
smashing the bottle and permitting the
poison to enter the wounds caused by
the broken glass. Little wonder that tne
unsuccessful students took their arrest
stoically. Tl ey were merely exchanging
one fate for another.
General Tr;poff had made other arrests
of those who were directly concerned
In the attempted assassination. He
counted them over.
"Nine fish in the net; we need more."
His chief of staff and a squad of his
trustiest men had already started off
for Paulvonia, on the Finnish railway.
He wired them to act Immediately. They
found what he had suspected a bomb
manufactory. It was there, that the
deadly missiles of the four students had
been devised. Six more arrests were
made in connection with this private ar
senal. On the day following, March 13, Gen
eral Trepoff had 15 prisoners In all on
his hands. Each one represented a stage
In the conspiracy: the compositors and
pressman who published the proclama
tions: the Klrl who distributed them; the
students who were to throw the bombs
and tho men who manufactured the
deadly missiles.
The 15 Trere condemned to death, but,
on the recommendation of the court, eight
escaped hanging and were sentenced to
penal servitude for life in 6ibcria.
Tho Czar learned all of these details
later. On the evening of the 13th of
March, as he entered the Winter Palace,
he was credited with saying:
"The people were very polite and re
spectful. The details were nicely
planned and, by the way. tell Trepoff
I . was pleased with tho police arrange
ments." (Next week: "Colonel Frascr and the
Railway Mystery.")
could be made, and the ' evening was
passed with songs and stories and an oc
casional "kissing game." The routha
were told to spread the news among
their acquaintances that the club was a
"medium of Introduction": that hence
forth the meetings would be open to any
young man or young woman of the sub
urb who could "qualify."
Bj- thus bringing together many young
persons who otherwise might never know
of the existence of one another the club
becomes1 a clearing-house for Cupid.
Since the organization was effected, loss
than a month ago, Miss Busse has re
ceived many inquiries from all parts of
Chicago relative to the club's plans. Ar
rangements are being made to form simi
lar clubs in other portions of the city,
and then to have inter-club parties. This
programme will make Cupid's clearing
house complete.
Camels as Hallway Builders.
Engineering Magazine.
A light railway which by its partial
completion Is already proving a factor
of considerable importance In the develop
ment of the Dark Continent Is that known,
as the Western Oases Railway. It will
link up the once prosperous, but mora
latterly much neglected, rich green
patches in the Libyan desert. Take a
map of Egypt, and some 300-odd miles
south of Cairo and on the Nile you will
see a place called' Farshut. That is the
starting point of the Western Oases Rail
way. From Farshut the course runs In
a southwesterly direction to a place called
Meteng, then turns and drops, almost due
south, to Kharga. A depot was estab
lished at El Der, some 110 miles from Far
shut and 20 miles to the northeast of
Kharga village, where are the remains
of a Roman fortress. While the greater
portion of the material was transported
by pack camel, certain heavy details such
as boilers, drill frames, itc, had neces
sarily to be transported on wheels by
means of draft camels. In order to ex
pedite matters 30 special camels .were pur
chased and trained. while the rougher
portions of the desert track were im
proved as far as possible and a good zig
zag road cut on the cliff descent from the
desert plateau into the oasis. The opera
tions In question will, It Is anticipated,
do not a little In the repeopling of the
large area comprised; in the concessions,
and render the communities dwelling
therein not as at present merely self-sustaining,
but capable of the large produc
tion of commodities suitable for exchange
with those of Western Europe.
By Chance.
Chicago News.
They met by chance;
They'd never met before;
They met but onee.
And ahe was smitten sore.
3'hey never met again
Don't rare to. I allow;
They met but once
Xhe auto and the con.