Weekly Mail

HUNGARIAN MURDEROUSLY ASSAULTED. A dirk knife and a 1)()eket knife were driven into a man's head, and both broken off at the 'hilt, the other nicrht at Homestead in America. Mike Span, :t Hungarian who suffered the ternlhe injuries, was murderously assaulted by five of bis fellow-countrymen. Andy Las- ko<ki. Joseph Pat em., George Lekoski, nod Mike Gellinki are under arrest at Homestead, nharored with the assault. The fifth Hun implicated escaped. Span's body is Ù¡,.hed frightfully, being- eut iusixpiaces. The most dangerous wounds are in his head. The dirk penetrated the' back of his head, touching '1-' Dear the ]¡.n. In trvingr to pull out the wea- pon his assailant Priced so hard that it. snapped at the handle and the blade remained in in his skull. The blade the penknife • was -cl broken in a, similar manner. It was embedded in the top of his head. Dr. John Osborne was unable to withdraw the dirk blade wit'h forceps and found it necessary to saw the patient's skull one inch to remove it. The wwCkr blade waP removed much difficulty. Dr. Osborne sa,:d that the man's life may be as the blades were taken out From what could be learned, one of the five men is a rival suitor for the lnurl of t,be Hunsrar'an lie-lie of Home4ead. Span had been visiting his sweetheart, and the rival and in* companions lav in wait in an arBV off Heisel-street. When Snan came out along they spransr out upon him -nd knocked him down. They then went at the defenceless man with their knives.

DEATH OF A WELSH LADY IN ITALY. A telegram has just been received at Maes- teg that Mrs. Gwenllrin Grey, wife of Air. David Grey, has. died in I'arvo, Italy. Mr. Grey was iit to the old Llynvi Companv, then manager and nart proprietor of the Lhvydartb Tin-plate Works, which were car- ried on with oreat regularity for over twenty years-. Mrs. Grey was a native of Maesteg. her father being one of the pioneers in the local staple trades. Soon after the Lhvydarth Tin- plate Works were closed Mr. Grev went to the. north of Italv to manage a tinworks, and took several of his old workmen with him. Last April Mrs. Grey joined her husband. The cause of death is not known at Maesteg. It is inferred from a telegram that the remains will be buried at Llangvnwycl Parish Church- yard, in the family vault.

n- I nA Captain Dalton, the champion back swimmer, entered the sea. from a steamer off Hastings Pier just after half-oast ten on Saturday morn- ing to proceed to Eastbourne, which he hoped to reach in seven hours. The journey was undertaken to prove the theory of the captain as to the superiority anrl'satety of swimming on the back. Captain Dalton passed Rt. Leo- nards at 11.20 and Bulverhythe at 12.50, but when off Bexhill at about four o'clock he had to relinquish the attempt. The tide was against him, and he was overcome with cold, 1

110 "HAENESSING NIAGARA." I2JTEE2BTI>iG PARTICUXABS OF A OS-2AT EITTEKPBISE. In several of the magazines this month there are. articles describing the great work of "Har- nessing- Niagara," which has new been so suc- cessfully carried out. For instance, there is in "Blackwood" a paper by Mr. George Forbes, who was engaged as elctrical consulting' engi- neer, describing what has been accom- plished. Mr. Carter, of New York, in an ora- tion at the, opening of Niagara, Park some ltime ago, said-the sense which responded to the mag- nificent motion, of the Falls was ithe sense of power. But few. perhaps, have any adequate idea of what the extent of Ithat power really is i- "Nearly 6,000 cubic miles of water, pouring down from the upper lakes with 90.000 square miles of reservoir arc--a, reach this gorge, of the Niagara river aft a pjin.t where its extreme width cf one mile is by islands- reduced to two channels of only 3.800 feet. Here, in less than half a, mile of rapids, the Niagaras river falls 55 feet, and then, with a depth of about 20 feet at the crest of the Her?? Shoe Falls, plunges 165 feet, more into the lower river. The ordi- nary flow lias been found to be about 275,000 cubic feet per second, and in its daily foro* equal to the latent power of all the coal mined in the world each day—something moie tla,ii 200,000 ions." No wonder tha: the idea, long sino", occurred to more than, one observer to turn this greet force to useful purpose. :G:1.:r. Everslied's Proposal. Mr. Forbes tells us that probably every engi- neer who ever visited the spot had been struck with the vast amount of power going to waste-; but he doubts whether its use could have fceon a (ommeicial success before the eleetriee.l art had been so much developed, and it was possible, to distribute power by its means for all kinds of purposes. One of the first plans provio.ji'd was thaf of Mr. Evcrshed ■—- "His idea was to take in the water from the river by a long canal a mile or two above the Falls. Along th, banks of the canal mills were to be placed requiring power. At each mill £ hole or shaft was to be dug in the ground to r, depth of about. 150 feet. The bottoms of the shaf ts were to be all connected by a, long tunnel passing from them under the town at a gradual slope, and emerging at a tunnel mouth, below the Falls, on a level with the lower river At each mill-site a water-wheel or turbine was to be placed ait. thp bottom of the pit, which would rotate a vertical steel shaft coming to the sur- face. At the top this shaft would, by means t cog-wheel* or belts, turn the machinery of die r:i11. In this way the canal was to bring water t- the pit, and. having given up its pov.er to the water-wheels, was-to flow away by rhe ve/in.'i into the lower river." Such a tnnm-l has been built, but the ec. :~di-, of Mr. Evershed's plans have been considerably- altered. Forme-tion of Companies. Jn 1889 the Niagara Falls Power Corr re-ay was formed by wealthy Americans, whh ? capita.1 of £ 2,000,000. aln>ut half of whl-h has now been spent. The Cataract Construetior Company was at the same time formed by the same people to carry out the adual "All that they had then. settled was that ttl"V v.-ould make the tunnel proposed by Kversh'-d. for carrying away the used water. They hid not settled whether "he mills should be brought to the power, or the power to the mills. They had no estimates of the cost. If power were to be distributee to mills and factories, they had no notion whether it would be by means of air or water under procure in pfpeei. or by wire rope-, or by electricity. None of. the, act- ing committee were engine- rs. but they had :'a--ih in. the evolution of ideas which would culminate in success." Ths Tunnsl. There was some delay at. first owing to the opposition manifested m distinguished Quarters against .,ynü.L is known as the "alternating cuv- rh.,t" of electricity, which Mr. Forbes "cham- pioned, but ultimately it was overcome, and the work wa» proceeded with. M, P. Forbes thus describe* the tunnel :— "Theatunnel of which I spok" is 2Lt,;¡igh and K-ft. broad, and is horseshoe-shaped. It was ex- pected that no lining would be necessary, but. at the outset, the roof began to fall in, and it had to be lined with four course* of bricks, increasing the cost largely asicl diminishing the capacity from 120.000 to 100.000 horse-power. The t unite I is 7.000 feet long, mostly on a slope of 7ft. in 1,000ft. At the month ihero is a smooth surface of iron for the water to run over smoothly. The level of the water below the Falls y,'1'H\ ?, -good deal. Sometimes it is far below the tuunel-mouth, at other times it is several fee; above. The plan of having a sepa- rate shaft for a mill has been adopted in only one ease, the largest paper-mill in the country, whc-;ie at present 3,-100 horse-power is bellij» used." Tlio !?ov5-?v-raoii3S. It, :'s inler.dcd to supply a lartre proportion of power from a great power-house where elec- tricity ie generated — "Within this buildicg s, slot in thp ground, ccmmunicf ting with the rer.rnei. has been exca- vated to a- depth of 150ft. It- is 20ft. wide and wnw 150ft. long. Parallel with this slot is é1. c2:1;1 of great width taking in water from the liver. Frcm the ear.,al TO the slot there are water passages from which iron pipes 7 £ fr. diameter descend to the bottom of the slot. At tho boftom of thesn 'he water passes into the casing of the turbines, and in passing through these develops power to, the extent of 5,000 horse-power for each unit. Three of thesE; are in place. The power is given to a vertical shaft 21ft. in diameter exc{Jpt. at the librae b--arings where ifc is less. This steel shaft extends right up jo the surface of the ground, a.d ic. attached at the. top of the revolving part of the dynamo, which, generates the electric ourreut." The company has, besides Hs power on ithe- American side, acquired r control of the rights 011 the- Canadian side. rendering the. under- taking international in its character, and also U j n the benefits to be can{ern,d. Tihe Works at a G-Iaacs. Many of the details are, of course, of a tech- nical character, but a letter written by Mr. Forbes from a e-mail r tower of observation at the Falls at the si-d of laat yep.i gives a. suseinct account of the whole' eaheme, and may be qnoted "Casting my ev?3 up the river, over tfee howp-tops and beyond the town, I see- a new world created. There is a wide c-anal leading watei from the river into that gigantic tower- house where three turbines are set up to drive three dynamos of 51000 horse-power each. There is the bridge to carry cables across to the transformer house. Inside the tower-house the water is carried clown pipes 7Aft. diameter into the turbines, and thence it passe.s through a. 7,000ft. tunnel under the town, emerging below the Falls, the tunnel being capable of developing 100,000 horse-power. Far as the eye can reach extend the company's lands, with hpre and there a huge factory either now using the water power or waiting for the elec- tric supply. One of them uses 3,300 horse power, another 300, a third one 1.500, and that unfinished one renuirc-s 1,000. You can see, far awav, the model village for working men, said improved sewage works with drainage, pump:}, for water saimly, electric light, and well-paved streets. There again is the dnek whets ships from all paris of the Great Lakes can unload, and there ? huge expanse of re- claimed lan-di: nhile cite whole is swept by ths company's rsll.rsy, se^en miles long, con- necting every fs.clory with the great trunk lines." Since the.-e words were writ ten the- machinery has been set to work. The directors have no ore-sent desire to send the current to great distances. They think it will pay better to areate a smokeless manufacturing" town in the neighbourhood. If required, Mr. Forbes adds, the isower could he sent much more than a hundred miles, and still be more economical than steam, even though coal is cheap there. The work is a great triumph of science, and it will doubtless interest the world at large to know that Mr. Forbes, whose bits of auto- biography in the article remind us of a Scots- man's famous prayer, has "in hand the prepara- tion of plans of schefines nearly aa important."

A Central News telegram from Vienna on Monday says: — The town of Friesach, in Carinthia, at the foot of the Styrian Alps, was te-day devastated by fire.

nAiSs LETTER. Oh, major!" said Fanny to me. My husband has left me and I'm in terrible trouble about Alfred. He's got my letters. What shall I do?" During the preceding summer at the sea. shore she had fallen in with Alfred purley, Being young and foolish and absent from home and husband, she had flirted. Never- theless, her flirtation was quite innocent, in that it did not go beyond ogles, siglis, foolish words, and still more foolish letters. Between walking on the beach in the forenoon with him, and driving in the afternoon with hiM; again, she would write a letter to him. And a fellow has to reply -< Meanwhile what was Mr. Spears—p'OO-th hard-worktetg, business-enslaved hubby-" doing in town? Well, he was falling in love with a yellow-liaired woman who was cot nearly so good looking as his wife. And his passion was serious. He had got to the point of wishing to divorce Fanny and marry his later discovery. Some kind friend told Fanny about her husband's marigold" of course, and the i'1" formation had the curious etTect of awaken- ing her conscience. She felt that she could not decently reproach him until her own skirts were clear. So she wrote to Alfred teKing him she had just realised how foolish and almost wicked their goings on had been, was determined to stop short, and begged him to return her letters. Alfred, a good, honest- fellow, respected he: feelings, and promptly complied with her request. And here is where his satanic majesty got in bis work effectively. Fanny did not, as a sen- sible woman would, at once burn all ths compromising cosrespondence, but kept the whole pile, both Alfred's letters and her own. for a few days, to read them over. Then the naturally-expected thing happened. Mr. Spears got hold of the whole bundle. It was jusc what lie wanted. Any smart lawyer, he felt assured, would get him a divorce on the ground of which those letters would justify suspicion at least. He took lodgings at a hotel and engaged- a lawyer, in whose hands he placed the letters, and noW Fanny wanted me to tell her what she should or could do about it to avert dreaded pub- licity. At first I could not see much hope for her. but when she mentioned Mr. Spears' "awyer I fancied I might persuade him to at least be as lenient a<s possible in his u<se of the letters, for lie was my attorney also in some rather important business. When I called upon Mr. Pynche, the attorney in question, I found in consultation with him a smiooth, sanctimonious-looking chap, who intuition told me was Fannys husb..iid. I had never, to my knowledge- met him before, and nobody had described, him to me, yet I felt sure of who lie was as if he had been conspicuously branded. and Mr. Pynche were in an ir.side room. through- the door opening from the waiting" room where I sat I could see they were going over a. pile of letters together, but of course did not hear what they were saying. Finally- they bunched the letters with a rubber band abonfc them, and put them in a pretty j inlaid wooden box, which the lawyer poked iut-■> one of the pigeon-holes of his desk- had noticed that box already, for its un- usually long hasp conveyed a, significance to my mind that it perhaps would not have borne to a person whi) had never as all amateur dabbled in "parlour magic," which used to be an accomplishment of mine. My consultation followed Mr. Spears a-Dd I could not help furtive glances at that box. within arms' length of me, wishing I migb get hold of it. "Foitune favoured me. Mr. Pynche wanted P,5 from me to pay some costs in my suit. I offered him a £ 10 note, denying the possession of anything smahcr. He did not have the change, as I hoped he would not, and went out to a neighbouring office to it. The instant his back was turned I had the box. As I suspected, it was a "trick box." The long hasp, when lacked, freed a catch in its front wall, and when the bottom wa.s squeezed in a particular way the whole end opened out. And the letters it contained were Fanny's and Alfred- I returned them to her, in ashes, with So single line: "You shall take no more chances with these. Neither M;r. nor Mr. Pynche could ever surmise bowthev evidense vanished. I was never suspect The divorce suit was abandoned'—A'^be S,01Y118.

-==- V7HY STILL A BATCHELOB. A curate of the Church of England Gently received an offer of marriage pecu'ii-ai-'v em ba irawsing circum stance- \Vritmg to the editor of the new papc '• The Success," he says :—I had betters ■* frankly at once that it was not the yolin, lady herself who proposed to me; it w"'stl"a father who propo-ed for her. He^ was churciiwaraen of the church to wnicii 1 j attached, and one line summer's niorim-ng^ received a message from him asking I)ie ba good enough to call upon him, a.s he j anxious to .see me on a matter of bTisine*8' little dreamed what the real business wa about which he was desirous to see uie. t When I got to his house I was shown iD a room, where I found my would-be 1ut| .father-in-law waiting for me, d«tei'inina plainly written oil his "ace. He had afc'0' g what unpleasant task before him, but determined to go through with it. Having asked me to take a chair, he not detain me long before coming to poir.t. He began rather nervously, s0 what as follows — k ri There is a little matter I want to SP to you about, with reference to niy da-u.g F— tell I gave a start. Something seemed to me what was coming. I felt a strange c e~ j for the earth to open and swallow me up- was in for an unpleasant quarter of an n and no mistake. People are beginning to talk," oonto the stern papa, a.nd the intimacy cease, unless, of course, you like to g° j with it. She is my favourite daughter, I should be willing to make her an aj-.o1*^ of pound's a year, and to give her thing she wanted.' And at my decease would come in for half of all I have.' t,i J "But I am not in a position to gnarr? exclaimed, thinking of the slenderness c in stipend. I could never keep Miss F--d, the style to which she lias been '\ccx,f° .e VB"V to I should think it a very wrong thing to :fee her from a happy and comfortable home this axif- She h?."3 not been accustomed to thine very grand, returned the old ge man, testily. "I should not wiso marry her for four or five years, and pa.ve no doubt I could get you a. living. -1 influence through my wife." fJi- I am afraid I am really not In J ciently good position to get marne • said, falling back upon the argument made use of before. to "I can understand your not wislo » geii marled)," exclaimed! my tornie a.ngrily. but I don't see why you can- =>. engaged: I bit my lip. to Can you kindly give me a little tnne think it over?" I asked. thi0^ If you like, you can have a week to 1 it." lie returned. about it." he returned. ^he And I, courteously thanking him manner in which lie had spoken to me, t my departure. But it was not left for me to have the pleasant task of refusing, for on the f° ing day a letter came, in which my* won father-in-lajw practically told me tha desired no further acquaintance w1,! And so I am still a bachelor! But of unpleasant interviews I have evfif e Oj rienced, I certainly think that that in 1 I was proposet, to was one of the isorst*

boaie to drown himself. A verdict of felo de 8e was returned, and the body interred in the Abbey Churchyard at midnight. "So they think I am dead! If my face -were not so easily spotted I might now go out into the world, but no-I dare not. If that man Peter Darton caught a glimpse of my face I should be doomed." The stale of oomtinual fear in whioh Tom Laxton existed had made itself apparent. His hair and beard had turned grey. and from poor living he had become thin and wan. Oatmeal porridge for breakfast, boiled rice for dinner, bread and weak tea for his evening meal—such was his diet for months. And a.t last the day lie had dreaded—to which he had been looking forward with hopeless ved. it had not been difficult for 'his landlady to divine that her lodger's means were becoming exhausted, and she in- variably asked for a week's rent on the day it became due. This Monday morning lie gave it to her, and had only two shillings left. With this sum he could manage to exist a week hunger then he would not only be without food, but unable to pay the poor wuman, whom he knew could not allow him to remain gratuitously. Despair seized upon the wretched man, and thoughts of suicide obtruded themselves upon his brain, and ere night came he had resolved to put an end to his misery. He astonished 'his landlady by asking her to fetch. him some cooked meat, bread 'and butter, and other things he had not tasted for weeks and, after a hearty meal, lie"went out, turning this steps instinctively in the direction of Westminster Bridge. But it was still early in the evening, and crowds of foot passengers thronged the bridge. Somehow 01' other, as he stood leaning against the parapet, and looking down into the dark, rushing water, a horror of such a death took hold of him, and he turned back towards home. Proceedting down Victoria-street, an old gentleman attracted Laxton's attention; he had emerged from an hotel, and his g>ait showed that lie was drunk. Underneath a street lannp the stranger took out his pocket- book, and was opening it when Laxton snatched d, at the same time tripping up the- owner, who fefl heavily upon the pavement. Nio one seemed to think that anything was wrong, passtis-by doubtless imagining that it was only a drunken man unable to keep his balance. Tom Laxton walked coolly awav, and having gone some distance examined his prize. There were four JB10 Bank of Engl-and notes, 23 sovereigns, and some silver. He was congratulating himself on his luck when his coat sleeve was seized, and a hoarse voice whispered in his ear "I mean to go shaies Prompted by the instinct of seilf-preserva- tion. Laxton turned suddenly round, and, hitting the man a tremendous blow under blie ear..sent him reeling into the gutter. Hurrying awav again, Laxton scorn readied Victoria. Station, and in the crowd assembled there he thought he was safe. But to h<:9 dismay he found that lie was again followed. He stopped to look at a picture shop, to ascertain if his feans were well founded. "Don't be afraid, chummy, for I'm on the cross myself. I saw you cop the old swell's coin-bag. Strike me lucky If you ain't Tom Laxton, What lost your peeper at Port- land With admirable presence of mind, Laxton showed no sign of recognition, and the ex- convict was mystified, but not satisfied. "Well. Mike. what are you doing in Lon- don? When did you come back?"' Tom Laxton started a.s though he were ehot, for in the voice of the stranger ho recog- nised that of Peter Darton, the man whom of ail others he dreaded. The man addressed as Mike was so much perturbed by tthe questions put to him that he did not notice Laxton's dtepa<rture. "What have you been doing since you lift Swan River?" went on tihe detective. "Beau- tiful country, isn't it? Let me see—how long is it since you were sent frcm Portland to Western Australia? Four years, isn't it? And your sentence was fifteen, I think. You want to go back, or you would not have come home so soon." "Let me go. Mr. Darton, amd don't round [,n me, and I'll tell you something. The chap itS was standing by me when you spoke was Tom La.xton." "Laxton ? .Nonsense J He's a hole in the water." "All a mistake, sir. The man was Laxton -that I can swear." Peter was puzzled. Was it possible they had been doceivea in the identity of tihe. wilcide at Wait-ham, and that Tom Laxton was stili a Jive? Yes, it was possible enough. "You may go. Mike, but take my advice and get out of London at once. Any other officer recognising you will not be as merciful as I am." On. the following morning, disguised as a Catholic priest. Peter Darton commenced his quest for Tom Laxton. The result of his meditations over night was not far from the truth. He concluded that, if Laxton still lived, it must be in a, quiet, retired way, and that he probably seldom ventured out, except at night. To find him would be an excep- tionally difficult task, but Peter did not despair. Thinking it probable that Laxton's a,bode might lie not fa.r from Victoria Station, he" carefully traversed aiD the .bye-streets around, calling at every grocer's, huckster's, and baker's shop, asking for a. man whom he described. Early on the second day of his search the' detective went into the street in which Laxton had lodged, -amd walked into tihe huckster's shop at which the escaped murderer had purchased his scanty food. "A man with one eye. did you "ay, your 'reverence ? Why. Mrs. Cragg was in a few minutes since, roe that her old lodger, who had been with her a loner time. left her yesterday morning. He had lost the right eye. He was a, customer of mire, in a small way, for he did not seem to have much money. He was a strange man; seikfoan went out, but was very quiet. Mrs. Cragg once said he would ma.ke a, good hermit." "I have no doubt that is the man I am seeking. What is Mrs. Cragg's number?" "Thirty--seven, your reverence. Good morn- ing; shadi be pleased if you succeed." "And so shall I," thought Peter. "It is evident I aim on the scent. Seldom went out, very quiet, not much money, and left yester- day morning. It must be Laxton." Mrs. Cragg, unfortunately for the detec- tive, was a afood Catholic. In a-nsover to his pull at the bell, she opened the door in per- son, and with a low curtsey asked him in. Peter accepted, the invitation, followed her into the clean, though cheaply-furnished, par- lour, and removed his hat. thup. showing the woman that he was not a priest. "You have a lodger, Mrs. Craeg-—a Mr. Laxton "No—I have not." Peter feH uneasy. If she had not already discovered that lie was an impostor, why had she omr'tted the usual "your reverence"? "Then he has left you?" "Never had a longer of that name, so far as I know," she replied, and the steady, det.er- mined wav in which she looked at him and pursed her lips together, told Peter that he would set no information out of her if she could help it. "You had a lodger who left you yesterday morning?" "I can't see your drift, and till I do shall tell von nothing." Peter took out his purse ::nd laid a sovereign on the table. "It's no use. Peter Darton. If I were 7v. starving I t touch money of vours. I knew you the moment yon took off your hat. That soar on ynnrtE11m1e betrayed vou but perhaps you have forgotten me." When you got my husband sent awav for ten years I took my maiden name. I am John Pimblett's wife—may be -his widow, and the woman's j voice trembled 'with the grief she tried to hnli The detective did what he was afterwards heartily ashamed of--he lost his temper. "You will very likely have the chance of learning whether your precious husband is alive or not. Hiding a, known murderer is making yourself an accessory after the- fact, and that is what you have done. Don't be surprised if you get a bigger dose than your husband got," and putting on his hat he left the house with a ruffled countenance, looking very little like a priest, "Whatever oould have possessed ire to turn on the woman like that?" be thought, as lie walked slowly up t.he street. "It will now be impossible to get amy more mforma«tion from her. Well, it cannot be helped. It is certain she has ha,d a, lodger, and everything geems to indicate that he was Tom Laxton. I may find him yet." (Tv he continued. C&ir>Ar.enc»& An-g. 25, 1895).