 Audubon's account of the New Madrid earthquake by M. L. Fuller. This is a LibriVox recording. While LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org. Within the last few years there has been a reawakening of interest in the New Madrid earthquakes as evidenced by the papers of Dr. W. J. McGee in the fourth volume of the Geological Society of America, Dr. G. C. Broadhead in the American Geologist in August 1902, and Professor E. M. Shepard in the January-February number of the Journal of Geology of the Present Year. In Broadhead's paper are given abstracts of a considerable number of contemporaneous and other early publications on the earthquake phenomena. But the description by Audubon seems to have been overlooked. As he was one of the few quite possibly the only scientist who was in the region at the time, his count is of interest. It is of significance that it agrees very closely with the descriptions of many other residents indicating that the accounts are probably not so distorted as has sometimes been thought. Audubon's description is in part as follows. Traveling through the barrens of Kentucky in the month of November 1812, I was jogging on one afternoon when I remarked a sudden and strange darkness rising from the western horizon. The custom to our heavy storms of thunder and rain, I took no more notice of it, as I thought the speed of my horse might enable me to get under shelter of the roof of an acquaintance who lived not far distant, before it should come up. I had proceeded about a mile when I heard what I imagined to be the distant rumbling of a violent tornado on which I spurred my steed with a wish to gallop as fast as possible to a place of shelter, but it would not do. The animal knew better than I what was forthcoming, and instead of going faster, so nearly stopped that I remarked he placed one foot after another on the ground with as much precaution as if walking on a smooth sheet of ice. I thought he had suddenly foundered, and speaking to him was on the point of dismounting and leading him, when he all of a sudden fell agroning piteously, hung his head, spread out his four legs as if to save himself from falling, and stood stuck still, continuing to groan. I thought my horse was about to die, and would have sprung from his back, had a minute more elapsed, but at that instant all the shrubs and trees began to move from their very roots. The ground rose and fell in successive furrows like the ruffled waters of a lake, and I became bewildered in my ideas as I too plainly discovered that all this awful commotion in nature was the result of an earthquake. The fearful convulsion, however, lasted only a few minutes, and the heavens again brightened as quickly as they had become obscured. My horse brought his feet to their natural position, raised his head, and galloped off as if loose and frolicking without a rider. Shock seceded shock almost every day or night for several weeks, diminishing however so gradually as to dwindle away into mere vibrations of the earth. Strange to say, I for one became so accustomed to the feeling as rather to enjoy the fears manifested by others. The earthquake produced more serious consequences in other places. Near New Madrid and for some distance on the Mississippi, the earth was rent asunder in several places, one or two islands sunk forever, and the inhabitants fled and dismayed towards the eastern shore. ML Fuller US Geological Survey and of Audubon's account of the New Madrid earthquake by ML Fuller. Bashfulness by Anna Koromawit Ritchie. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or how to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. How often bashfulness passes for humility. For a painful want of self appreciation. For a modest under evaluation of one's own merits. At the self consciousness, which gives rise to bashfulness almost always springs from sensitive self esteem, a latent love of approbation, a nervous dread that others will not rate us as highly as we prize ourselves. What is it but self consciousness, which prevents a bashful person from entering a room without fancying that all eyes are turned upon him? What is it but self consciousness, which makes him fearfully certain of attracting attention, if he ventures to move? What is it but self consciousness, which impresses him with a convention that all ears are quickened to listen to the unmeaning words that hesitatingly fall from his lips? What is it but self consciousness, which causes him to commit any number of awkward bonders while he is speculating on the judgment that would be passed upon his most insignificant actions? People are bashful because they cannot ignore their own personality cannot put self aside and act as though neither others nor they themselves are thinking of their individual existence. Bashful persons never behave naturally because they are never unconscious of their own deportment. They never shine in conversation because they are haunted by the fear that they cannot do justice in language to the ideas which are struggling for utterance. They never appear to advantage because they are tortured by the instinctive knowledge that in spite of being very sensible, sober minded individuals, they are always hovering on the borders of the ridiculous. If you laugh with them, they imagine that you laugh at them. If you sympathize with them, you cause them mortification. If you forbear to notice them, you wound them by your supposed indifference. They have a morbid horror of publicity, and yet they constantly become conspicuous simply by never forgetting themselves. Goldsmith in his portrait of Charles Marlowe illustrates a species of bashfulness which only exists in the presence of equals and superiors and degenerates into positive insolence and unbridled freedom when thrown in contact with inferiors. Here self-consciousness is the moving principle again. Charles Marlowe was frightened into the most absurd exhibitions of bashfulness by the dread of making an unfavorable impression upon those whose opinion he valued. But being totally indifferent to the appreciation of a hotelkeeper or a barmaid before them, the bashful youth, who could not lift his eyes to the face of a lady and had not the courage to address a few civil sentences to her respected father, was transformed into a very monster of egotism, arrogance, and impertinence. When we use the word bashfulness, we do not mean to confound the term with genuine diffidence, self-distrust, modesty, nor do we allude to the charming timidity which flings a rosy veil over the conscious cheek of the youth. The shame faced of bashfulness is not diffidence or self-distrust, for it does not distrust its own intrinsic worth. It only distrusts that others will fully recognize that worth. It is not modesty or humility, for it does not humbly estimate itself. It is only fearful of the under-evaluing estimation of others. True modesty is retiring, shrinking, humble, but it is at the same time self-possessed, composed, inconspicuous. A modest man does not commit the blunders of his bashful brother, because he is not confused by the failing efforts to seem what he is not. He does not conceive himself to be a brilliant person, or desire others to believe so, and does not comport himself as though brilliancy were expected of him. He does not fancy that he is of sufficient consequence to be remarked or remarkable. He goes on his way, if observed, unconscious of observation, if neglected, indifferent to neglect. He does not think of himself at all, and consequently does not imagine that others are thinking of him. If his hidden merits are accidentally discovered, the blush that suffuses his cheek is not one of pained bashfulness, but of startled humility and pleasant surprise. His manner invents us that he neither demands nor expects consideration, and consequently it has conciliating tendency, inclining the world so niggerly to those who claim their rights to give modest work its fullest due. Let the bashful man contrast his experiences with those of the truly modest man, and he cannot close his eyes to the great truth that the secret cause of his social discomfort is a torturing self consciousness, and that the cure lies in ceasing to speculate upon what others are thinking of him, in ceasing to think of himself at all. End of Bashful by Anna Coral-Mawet Ritchie, read by Kelly S. Taylor. Child Psychology and Nonsense by G. K. Chesterton. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org read by Chad Horner. In this age of child psychology, nobody pays any attention to the actual psychology of the child. All that seems to matter is the psychology of the psychologist, and the particular theory or train of thought that he is maintaining against another psychologist. Most of the art and literature now magnificently manufactured for children is not even honestly meant to please children. The artist would hardly condescend to make a baby laugh if nobody else laughed or even listened. These things are not meant to please the child. At best, they are meant to please the child lover. At the worst, they are experiments and scientific educational method. Beautiful, wise and witty lyrics, like those of Stevenson's Child's Garden of Verses, will always remain a pure, lively fountain of pleasure for grown-up people. But the point of many of them is not only such that a child could not see it, it is such that a child ought not to be allowed to see it. The child that is not clean and neat, with lots of toys and things to eat, he is a naughty child I'm sure, or else his dear papa is pure. No child ought to understand the appalling abyss of that afterthought. No child could understand without being a snob or a social reformer or something hideous. The irony of that illusion to the inequalities and inequities with which this wicked world has insulted the sacred dignity of fatherhood. The child who could really smile at that line would be capable of sitting down immediately to write a guessing novel and then hanging himself on the nursery bed post. But neither Stevenson or any Stevensonian, and I will claim to be a good Stevensonian, ever really dreamed of expecting a child to smile at the poem. It was the poet who smiled at the child, which is quite a different thing, though possibly quite as beautiful in its way. And that is the character of all this new nursery literature. It has the legitimate and even honourable object of educating the adult in the appreciation of babies. It is an excellent thing to teach men and women to take pleasure in children, but it is a totally different thing from giving children pleasure. Now the old nursery rhymes were honestly directed to give children pleasure. Many of them have genuine elements of poetry, but they are not primarily meant to be poetry, because they are simply meant to be pleasure. In this sense, hate is little, is something much more than an idol. It is a masterpiece of psychology, a classic and perfect model of education. The lilt and jingle of it is exactly the sort that a baby can feel to be a tune and can turn into a dance. The imagery of it is exactly what is wanted, for the first movements of imagination, when it experiments in incongruity, for it is full of familiar objects in fantastic conjunction. The child has seen a coy and he has seen the moon, but the notion of the one jumping over the other is probably new to him and is, in the noblest word, nonsensical. Cats and dogs and dishes and spoons are all his daily companions and even his friends, but it gives him a sort of fresh surprise and happiness to think of their going on such a singular holiday. He would simply learn nothing at all from our attempts to find a fine shade of humour in the political economy of the poor papa, even if the poor papa were romantically occupied, not in jumping over the moon, but at least in shooting it. Of course, there is much more than this in hated a little. The coy jumping over the moon is not only a fancy very suitable to children, it is a theme very worthy of poets. The lunar adventure may appear to some as lunatic adventure, but it is one round which the imagination of man has always revolved, especially the imagination of romantic figures like Ariosto and Serrano de Bergarec. The notion that cattle might fly has received sublime imaginative treatment. The winged bull not only walks as if shaking the earth amid the ruins of Assyrian sculpture, but even wailed and flamed in heaven as the apocalyptic symbol of Sintlouc. That which combines imagination so instinctive and ancient in a single fancy, so simple and so clear is certainly not without the raw material of poetry, and the general idea which is that of a sort of cosmic Saturnalia or season when anything may happen is itself an idea that has hunted humanity in a hundred forms, some of them exquisitely artistic forms. It would be easy to justify a vast number of other nursery rhymes in the same vein of a more serious art criticism. If I were asked to quote four lines which suffice to illustrate what has been called the imaginative reason when it rises almost to touch an unimaginative unreason for that point of contact is poetry. I should be content to quote four lines that were in a picture book in my own nursery. The man in the wilderness asked of me how many strawberries grow in the sea. I answered him as I thought good, as many red herrings as grow in the wood. Everything in that is poetical from the dark unearthly figure of the man of the desert with his mysterious riddles to the perfect blend of logic and vision which makes beautiful pictures even improving them impossible, but this artistic quality though present is not primary. The primary purpose is the amusement of children and we are not amusing children, we are amusing ourselves with children. Our fathers added a touch of beauty to all practical things so they introduced fine fantastic figures in cabering and dancing rhythms which might be admired even by grown men into what they primarily and practically designed to be enjoyed by children but they did not always do this and they never thought mainly of doing it. What they always did was to make fun fit it for the young and what they never did was turn it into irony only intelligible to the old. A nursery rhyme was like a nursery table or a nursery cupboard, a thing constructed for a particular human purpose. They saw their aim clearly and they achieved it. They wrote utter nonsense and took care to make it utterly nonsensical for there are two ways of dealing with nonsense in this world. One way is to put nonsense in the right place as when people put nonsense into nursery rhymes, the other is to put nonsense in the wrong place as when they put it into educational addresses, psychological criticisms and complaints against nursery rhymes or other normal amusements of mankind. End of Child Psychology and Nonsense by G. K. Chesterton. Composition in drawing from photographs and excerpt from Sketching and Rendering in Pencil by Arthur L. Gooptill, 1922. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org. As the word composition means the putting together of things and the arranging of them in order so as to make one unit out of them all. It is evident that we must first have good things to put together if the final composition is to be good. This means that in starting work we should use extreme care in the selection of our subject not only as a whole but in each of its parts. Students more especially the beginners seem to be of the opinion that any object found in nature is a satisfactory subject to draw and they are led into this belief perhaps by hearing statements to the effect that all nature is beautiful. It is not for us to deny this but it should be made clear that good pictures are not to be obtained ready-made by simply copying bits of nature at random. Amateur photographers are well acquainted with the fact that a successful photograph is not often secured by simply pointing the camera in any direction and making an exposure. It is necessary to give some thought to the selection and composition of the subject. Experienced artists often do produce good drawings by recomposing poor material but the student will avoid difficulties if he chooses either something which is well composed in itself or which can be made so with few changes. We have previously spoken of the advantage of using a viewfinder when selecting compositions and wish to call attention again to its value of the several types in general use one which we have already described as consisting simply of a rectangular opening two inches or so in length cut in a piece of heavy paper or cardboard is especially helpful when working directly from nature by holding it in an upright position and looking through it at the objects beyond it is very easy to select interesting subjects and to determine to how large an area or how much of an object or objects it is best to show to give the finest composition. Again it has another use for if the student is in doubt as to just what slope should be given to a roofline or slanting tree trunk a comparison of these inclined lines in the objects with the vertical or horizontal lines of the opening of the finder will be of great assistance in determining the correct slope or angle the finder will help the student also to judge correctly the values of light and dark as seen in nature for each tone of the objects can be compared in turn with the value of the cardboard itself the other commonly used finder or frame consists of two L shaped pieces of paper or card which will give one wrapped as shown at one figure 24 an endless variety of shapes and sizes and it is for this reason much better than the other finder when working from photographs as soon as a pleasing composition has been selected this frame can be clipped or pinned in position on the photograph and left in place until the drawing is finished it thus serves to hide those parts which have no relation to the sketch and permits the eye to rest on the selected composition without distraction some art students carry a viewfinder of the kind first described with them constantly and gain a great deal of pleasure and useful knowledge of composition by studying different objects through its opening in making one cut several spaces through your card instead of one if you prefer a various shapes and sizes they need not be large as the card can be held near the eye in fact two or three small openings or a single large one can be made in a finder of postal card size sometimes threads are fastened across the openings from side to side and from top to bottom in such a way as to divide them into a number of small rectangles or squares those who have preference for this finder feel that it lessens the difficulty of laying out correct proportions when drawing from nature just as in copying a photograph or enlarging a sketch the work is simplified when the print or sketch is marked off into squares or rectangles several excellent compositions can often be found for the same object or objects when viewed from one point by showing more or less of the surroundings just as a number of satisfactory photographs can be secured naturally to an infinite variety of compositions of any architectural object can be discovered by studying it from various positions and under different lighting conditions when working from the photograph several excellent sketches can sometimes be made from different portions of one print especially if the picture is a street scene or a general view similar to that of the Y bridge and cathedral published below on this page it is easy to frame a number of attractive compositions on this photograph and it would be to the students advantage to do so figure 25 shows three sketches made from this very picture it will be noticed that no attempt has been made to slavishly copy the values and details exactly as they appear on the print for it is seldom wise to do this but the general effect is indicated in a broad simple way there is perhaps no better manner of learning composition than by making such selections with the finder and also such sketches as we have shown here for this reason the following exercises are offered to fix in the memory the ideas which we are considering first of all obtain several photographs such as street scenes or general views each showing a number of objects which might make pleasing sketches and with the finder frame on one of your prints some selection which seems to compose well remembering that each composition should have a center of interest remember to that there should always be a pleasing relation between the shape of the picture space or margin line and the subject itself if for example a very tall building such as a skyscraper or church spire has been chosen it is as a rule best to draw it on paper placed vertically or to frame it in a vertical picture space whereas a long horizontal building or massive buildings can usually be represented to the best advantage when enclosed in a horizontal manner this has been illustrated in figure 24 the English cottage shown at one at the top of the sheet seemed when viewed in connection with the nearby trees to demand a horizontal treatment while the church tower at two suggested at once a vertical handling a group of buildings such as that shown at three usually calls for a horizontal space but if the horizontal masses are more prominent than the vertical the fact must be recognized and expressed thus the church at four is given a long low frame but if its tower alone was to be shown the contrary treatment would be more appropriate as a general rule it is well not to use circular or oval or triangular frames or margin lines on architectural drawings as such shapes often have little or no relation to the form of the architecture itself a square shape might be well related in this respect and therefore might sometimes do but from an artistic standpoint a square is usually less interesting than any other rectangle it is even true that certain rectangles are more pleasing than others one with a length just twice its width is not as desirable for instance as another which is one and one half times as long as it is wide while even this proportion is less subtle and hence less satisfying to the eye than one about three parts wide and five long while discussing margin lines it might be well to mention that the line itself should never be so black as to draw the eye away from the subject the width and tone of line should vary in different drawings so as to always be in harmony with the sketch again attention should be called to the fact that sketches in some cases are carried way to the margin lines while in others they are allowed to fade gradually into the paper or vignetted as it is called in either of these cases if the exterior of a building is being drawn it will be found that the margin lines need not be far from the building itself with the exception perhaps of the line at the top as all spaces will appear much greater after they are rendered than before for such surroundings as are generally used add a sense of distance if too much space is left in such drawings the landscape and accessories may easily become too prominent in relation to the architecture when a selection has been decided upon and framed to a good proportion fasten the finder to the photograph and then on very thin tracing paper with a soft pencil make a simple tracing not an outline alone but in values trying to give the effect of the whole in a direct and simple manner with sufficient accent at the center of interest do not spend more than five minutes on the sketch and then frame the same object in a slightly different way and make a second tracing compare the two if one is better than the other why is it because you have shown more foreground or sky or because the frame has been kept of a size or shape better suited to the leading objects ask yourself such questions and then make perhaps a third and even a fourth sketch comparing them all with care and if one seems better than the others make a larger and more carefully finished drawing using this last sketch as the basis of your composition next try to find some entirely different composition in the same photograph using a new subject and make another series of quick sketches or tracings and again compare them and analyze each trying always to learn by this comparison why one composition is good and another not select a different photograph and repeat the process or if you feel that you have the ability to work in a similar way from nature do so choosing a comparatively simple subject so that each sketch can be done in a few minutes one will encounter more difficulty when working from nature for whereas on the photographs the forms and values remain constant in nature the values are always changing and the forms more difficult to represent we have previously had occasion to mention that subjects which are full of interest and good in composition during some hours are entirely different under changed lighting conditions and buildings which appear to good advantage at certain times of day are much less pleasing at others this is largely because the areas of shade and shadow are never the same for long part of the time they nicely balance one another so that the lights and darks are well related at other times too much light or too much dark appears at one side or above or below thus destroying the restful effect at some hours too there may be patches of shade or shadow so odd in shape as to prove distracting it is therefore well to do your sketching during favorable moments if this is possible returning if necessary to the same subject at the same hour during a number of days in succession until the study is completed if a subject which is otherwise good in composition exhibits a few unpleasant features either in nature or in the photograph it is perfectly legitimate to take certain liberties with them if by so doing the drawing can be improved without sacrificing the truth of the main idea should a tree for example seem a bit too small in relation to a building or too light or dark in value or should some shadow be too dense and black or form a displeasing mass it is permissible to make such changes as seem necessary to improve the composition providing the final result represents a condition which might be possible under slightly different circumstances without the breaking of any of nature's laws in landscape painting and decorative drawing more such liberties are taken however than are permissible in most architectural sketching or rendering for architecture must as a rule be truthfully portrayed the changes to better the composition being made for the most part in foliage shadows and the like to illustrate this matter of changes we have shown in figure 25 sketch to the dark boat in exactly the same position as on the photograph this spacing is not wholly satisfactory as the boat seems isolated in the center of the sheet attracting by its placement more than its proper share of attention in such a case as this it would be better to improve the composition by moving the boat to the right or the left or it might be tied into the scheme by the addition of extra lines or tones amendments like this are always advisable and it is also wise to omit from a sketch such objects as have little or no relation to the subject itself and which for this reason detract from the main idea which the drawing is intended to express this means that we must observe the principle of unity which requires that a composition must be a homogenous whole all its parts related and so thoroughly merged and blended together that they become a single unit in order to secure unity in a drawing only as much of the material before us is selected as relates directly to the subject of the sketch separate your subject from everything else that is visible and think of it as a single harmonious whole this rule applies whether your subject be an entire building or some portion such as a dormer window or some still smaller detail a door knocker for example once you have determined which of the ideas are to be rejected as irrelevant you must decide on the relative importance of those which have been accepted as essential for unity in a drawing depends not only on the selection or rejection of material but on its emphasis or subordination as well for unless each detail is given just the amount of attention that is proportionate to its importance the composition will not count as a complete and satisfactory unit failure to give sufficient emphasis or accent to the leading parts of a drawing causes a loss of force to the entire composition and in the same way neglect to properly subordinate the unimportant parts leads to confusion and complication to further illustrate this principle of unity let us consider some simple objects found in everyday use an ink bottle a turnip and a vase of roses might be arranged into a pleasing composition so far as variety of form and size and value are concerned but unity would always be lacking in such a group for these objects are not sufficiently well related by use to ever become a satisfying single whole it would be equally difficult to compose a coal scuttle a hairbrush and a cut glass pitcher but a comparatively simple matter to form an excellent composition of a loaf of bread partly sliced with knife plate etc or of a garden trowel flower pot and package of seeds fortunately nearly all objects of an architectural nature are so closely related that little difficulty is experienced in finding things which go well together so the delineator of architecture has much less trouble in this respect than does the painter of still life unity and architectural work is often injured however because certain accessories are too important in relation to the architecture itself it is not inappropriate to show an automobile at the curb before a colonial doorway but if it is indicated so large in size or made so conspicuous in any manner that it detracts from the doorway it then prevents a perfect unity in the sketch it is mainly for this reason that in rendering architectural drawings such accessories are often left in what sometimes seems to the beginner an unfinished state trees are shown in a conventional and inconspicuous manner clouds are often either omitted or only lightly indicated and shadows are simplified this brings us to a discussion of the principle of balance which is so closely related to the principle of unity as to be really a part of it in fact without balance there can be no unity for by balance we mean as the name implies the equilibrium or restfulness that results from having all parts of a composition so arranged that each receives just its correct share of attention every part of a picture has a certain attractive force which acts upon the eye and in proportion to its own power to attract it detracts from every other part if we find our interest in a drawing divided between several parts if certain tones or lines seem too insistent or prominent we know that the composition is lacking in balance and likewise lacking in unity as well it is impossible to give concise and definite rules for obtaining balance in drawings mainly for the reason that the attractive force of each portion of a drawing depends on an infinite number of circumstances which are variable a short straight line drawn near the center of a clean sheet of paper has a power to catch and hold the eye let the figure six or some other curved line be drawn near the straight one and even though they are of equal size the curved line will prove the more powerful attraction of the two in the same way a star shaped form or a triangle has more strength to attract than a square or rectangle of like area this power depends not entirely on shape however but on the value of light and dark as well draw two squares on paper side by side the one dark and the other light and if the paper is white the dark square will exert the strongest force but if the paper is black the white square will jump into prominence again the attractive power of an object varies in proportion to its proximity to other objects if for example a man is shown at small scale in a standing or sitting position near the center of the sheet he will receive considerable attention if by himself but if surrounded by other objects he will seem much less noticeable then to a moving object or one which suggests motion will be more prominent than a similar object in repose let a man be shown running and he is seeing far more quickly than if he is at rest objects near the edges of the sheet or in the corners usually arrest the eye more quickly too than they would if near the middle of the paper these examples are sufficient to show the difficulty of attempting to give definite directions for obtaining good balance the best suggestion we can offer is that the student make first of all as soon as a drawing has been blocked out in its main proportions a preliminary sketch such as we have described a painter is able to make many corrections in his work as he progresses until excellent balance in every part is gained but in pencil sketching where the nature of the medium and the limitation of time demand that the work be done very directly and with few changes it is difficult to make well balanced drawings unless the artist or student has had considerable practice or unless preliminary studies are made almost invariably such studies save time and give results in the end that more than justify the labor spent on their preparation then by way of additional precaution as the final sketch progresses set it away from you at intervals or turn it upside down or on end or even reflected in a mirror so as to see it in a reversed or changed position when so viewed the balance should still be good and if not the necessary adjustments should be made if some part seems too prominent either tone it down or accent other parts until balance is restored end of composition and drawing from photographs and excerpt from sketching and rendering in pencil by Arthur L Guptill 1922 read for LibriVox by Sue Anderson the game of scandal by Anna Coromawet Richie this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or how to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org have you ever played at Scandal friend pure must be the heart that feels no sudden pang of conscience at that bomb-like question but the startling query in this instance mildly refers to a game called scandal the delight of juveniles too joyous to be very wise yet there is wisdom and warning enough in the game itself to force the conclusion that the origin was in the brain of some sage satirist who hid a sober moral with a sportive mask the players sit in a row the one at the head whispers to his neighbor a communication concerning some absent friend the neighbor whispers the news as he hears it to the one next to him who conveys the intelligence still in a whisper to the one nearest thus it is imparted again and again until it reaches the end of the line as the sentence is transmitted from mouth to mouth it is unintentionally unavoidably altered the words have been incorrectly caught by the listening ear with each repetition they undergo a change by the time the sentence has traveled to its journeys close it has passed through so many strange mutations that it bears not the slightest resemblance to the original phrase everyone is requested beginning at the last hearer to declare what information concerning mr blank or mrs blank or miss blank was confided to him and lo through these singular transitions the harmless assertion has become a monstrous slender this scandal was obviously the offspring of inadvertent unconscious misrepresentation as the story is traced back through all its crooked paths the most hilarious merriment is excited by its odd metamorphosis the young played this game in jest for the sake of the mirth it awakens their seniors are playing it in sober fatal earnest all the world over and like them for the sake of mere amusement i playing it daily without self-reproach playing it without dreaming that they are coiners of scandal and clippers of reputation playing it without reflecting that their game can produce more dangerous consequences than the sport of children let us not confound these comparatively innocent scandal mongers with that venomous class whose adder stings are aimed with malicious purpose whose upa's breath withers the freshest flowers of innocence upon its invisible touch whose defiled hands stir up mud in the purest streams of life whose spleenic natures are constantly goaded on by envy and armed with the deadly weapons of hatred against those the sages poet that the sun ever shown upon tells that there is no aegeus that can protect even the immaculate no might no greatness in mortality can censure skate back wounding call money the whitest virtue strikes what king so strong can tie the gall up in the slenderest tongue since the world has no social perseus who can lift up an invincible sword to slay those gorgons they are not our thing to them the players in the world's great game of scandal bear little resemblance the latter are vivacious courteous agreeable respectable members of society if the whole truth must be spoken we are bound to admit that these graceful babblers are chiefly of the gentler sex since the world began women must have had an a special gift of speech for the very name of eve according to bookstores hebrew lexicon is derived from a root which signifies to talk thus her temptations to indulge in idle strictures must be greater than those of her more taciturn brother but the amiable newsmongers who are playing this game of scandal with honeyed lips and smiling eyes mean no harm there's our random errors shot in sport yet the shaft skays be the hand by which it is aimed ever so white some charming giddy painted creature with unbite bridal the levity of tongue gives breath to a good story not particularly good-natured about certain poor dear friend of hers the news is whispered in the ear of her next neighbor kind miss clack it and being imperfectly heard or not thoroughly understood undergoes an intentional change as the famous game we have cited mrs. clack it with eager volubility confides the secret to the first person she meets good mrs. grimm mrs. grimm chances to be of a satirical turn of mind and the tale assumes a sarcastic countenance it is wafted onward and until it reaches miss bomb a very humane and tender hearted gossip in her sympathetic bosom it is weighed down with such pressure of pity that the features of the traveling story are smoothed into a new shape a few more steps onward a few more pleasant touches from rosy lips and snowy hands and the original liniments are wholly obliterated but is this all what becomes of the heroine of this game how will she break loose from the tangled web woven by mere idle talk whether will she fly from the stabbing of inconsequent tongues if her lacerated reputation ever heal will not those wounds leave a disfiguring scar for life various prospects have been hopelessly blighted strongest ties of friendship dissevered loves transformed to hate hearts broken homes made desolate through the daily playing of this merry game of scandal at our firesides in our walks and our social gatherings the most zealous player having no evil in din view if told he has dealt a blow to a friend or done a neighbor wrong would meet the charge indignant and aghast yet the game goes on bravely from day to day we all play it quite innocent of malice give a buffet to the flying tail and send it onward half expiring with laughter at the quaint fantastic shapes it assumes without presuming to don the solemn robes of the social reformer which might float with as little grace as the upped lion skin in the fable may we not venture to suggest an antidote to the bane of this popular death dealing game we fear it is one almost too simple to strike yet simplest herbs have counteracted deadliest poisons it lies in resolutely setting our faces against crediting any injurious rumor by the reflection that the story is in all probability an illustration of the marvelous metamorphosis wrought by that magical game of scandal which we and all the world are merrily playing end of the game of scandal by anna cora moe richie read by kelly taylor luminous plants by dr alford gradient wits read for libra fox dot org some species of beetles as is well known are endowed with a strange luminescence and the beautiful phenomenon known as phosphorescence of the sea is in its turn due to the light given out by certain of the lower organisms many organic substances exhibit luminous phenomena of a similar kind and butchers meet at a state of beginning decomposition as well as rotten wood and withered leaves possess a luminescence readily perceived by the eye when at rest naturalists are frequently discussed the question as to what profit those organisms may derive from their remarkable power and it seems possible that certain animals avail themselves of their luminescence in attacking their prey frightening their foes or lighting the environs when seeking their food not only the luminescence of insects but that of other organic substances as well should be ascribed to a vital process being due to bacteria that is to vegetable organisms settling on the surface of the substance in order thence to spread to other bodies professor H. Mollish of the University of Prague has closely investigated those phenomena of vegetable luminescence during his voyages of discovery in the tropics and after his return to europe according to his researches the luminescence of butchers meet so far from being an exceptional phenomenon is an absolutely general fact occurring even in the case of relatively fresh meat which is quite susceptible of being used as food the bacterium phosphorium which gives rise to this luminescence accordingly is a very widespread occurrence being found in all ice cellars in which the meat soon after its arrival is again and again contaminated by those luminous fungi eggs kept in salt water and boiled potatoes will take the same characteristic luminescence either spontaneously or on coming into contact with meat and the same applies to dead sea fish and other sea animals in the case of which the phenomenon takes place at the very beginning of disintegration before any bad smell can be noted professor molish therefore unhesitatingly asserts that at least during the hot season a large portion of all the fish in the market is sold in a luminous condition without the knowledge of the public but without any detriment to health in contra distinction to see fish freshwater fish do not show any spontaneous luminescence but become luminescent on coming into contact with sea animals or with butcher's meat contaminated by the bacteria as the presence of free oxygen is required to enable these to give rise to the phenomenon this would seem to be an oxidation process in which only the bacteria situated near the surface partake so as to come into contact with atmospheric oxygen it is true that the amounts of oxygen taking part in the oxidation are extremely small being detected by no known chemical reagent some experimenters have accordingly suggested a very intimate connection between this luminosity and the process of respiration considering the former as the immediate outcome of the latter outside of the oxygen a certain amount of water is indispensable to give rise to the phenomenon as shown by the fact that bacteria placed on a glass plate owing to the evaporation of their water will cease to shine after five to ten minutes in order to recover their luminosity after some water has been added professor molosh's researches thus show that the luminosity of living organisms is a chemical process giving rise to the formation of a hypothetical substance in the interior of cells which in the presence of free oxygen and water becomes luminous this the experimenter calls photogen the luminosity of animals shows a characteristic difference from that of plants bacteria insofar as the former is observed only intermittently while cultures of bacteria may remain luminescent for months and even years provided there be a sufficient supply of food professor molosh then succeeded in preparing with a glass flask filled with sterilized gelatin vaccinated with a culture of luminous bacteria a cold lamp which though being of less intensity than the flame of even the smallest candle perfectly sufficed for scientific researches photographic purposes and even for certain practical uses as luminous beetles have at any time been used by the natives of tropical countries as ornaments fishing and hunting utensils and as optical telegraphs in warfare the possibility of eventually increasing the intensity of those living illuminants sufficiently to allow of a more extensive utilization should by no means be discarded the most striking difference between this living light and the one given out by other illuminants is the perfect absence of heat rays nature thus realizes the ideal of modern engineers namely the production of light without heat while being free from any material heat radiation this light however is by no means of simple composition and for example comprises chemical rays molosh accordingly succeeds in photographing luminous cultures in their own light and various other objects in the light of the bacteria living light does not seem to contain any black rays acting on the photographic plate while its physiological effects are as striking as those of any other light if for example the germs of certain plants peas lentils etc. be placed at 1 to 10 centimeters distance from a living lamp they are seen during their growth to approach towards the luminous bacteria two kinds of plants thus attracting one another in virtue of the radiating energy given out by one of them end of luminous plants by Dr. Alfred Graydon-Witz this LibriVox recording is in the public domain the mosaics of Ravenna, Italy an excerpt from Ravenna by Conrado Ricci translated from the Italian 1907 this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Ravenna Felix is the legend stamped on many ancient coins to recognize the fitness of the epithet we must look in history for records of Ravenna's past greatness and in surviving monuments for traces of her splendor contrasting her former glory and prosperity with her present solitude and silence her citizens are reminded of the words ascribed by Dante to the troubled shade of her ill-fated daughter no greater grief there is than to recall in misery past happiness the sea which once bathed her walls and towers has now withdrawn to a distance of several miles the crescent-shaped harbour strengthened by the emperor Augustus with marble sides to be the station for the Adriatic fleet with its 250 ships perished under the assaults of man or of the elements and is now buried under alluvial deposits Colosse the great seaport adorned with stately public buildings with the warehouses of commerce and the barracks of the roman soldiery fell under the longabard fury of far-walled and lute brand and Cessarea the suburb on the causeway connecting Colosse with Ravenna flanked by churches and palaces of which hardly even the names remain was raised to the ground the marvelous palace of Theodoric was stripped by Charles the great of its precious marbles and mosaics the capitol the bridges the fountains the golden gate stately public edifices and churches all have disappeared ornaments and treasure were abstracted or destroyed in the middle ages during the Renaissance and in the past century lute brand carried off the regissol in the sack of the city in the year 1512 the French gathered a rich spoil of silver Balticini and enameled crosses the monks sold the treasures of Gala Placidia so lately as the year 1854 workmen employed to clear a canal broke into fragments and ornament of gold set with garnets believed to have belonged to Theodoric her marshy soil and the shallowness of the lagoons which surrounded her were at once the safety and the destruction of Ravenna the swamps protected her on the land side the shallow sea forbade hostile fleets to approach her seeking a place of refuge secure against surprise the latest emperors and afterwards barbarian kings here established their capitol the seat of imperial government was transferred from Rome to Ravenna by the emperor Ornorius about the beginning of the fifth century and three important periods in the history of art subsequent to that date may be noted the first of these periods which we shall call the Roman extends to the year 476 on the line of the Roman emperors of the west terminated with the overthrow of Romulus Augustulus by Odoacer this period of about 75 years includes the names of Ornorius Gala Placidia and Valentinian the third the second period which we may call the barbaric and which lasted for 72 years is the age of Odoacer the Adoric and other Gothic kings the third period is notable for the reconquest of Italy by Belisarius and Narciss during the reigns of Justinian and Justin after whose time the fortunes of the city constantly decline as in the first of the three periods which I have marked out for notice tradition centers in Placidia so in the second its interest for the people of Ravenna is summed up in Theodoric whose name at this day is as familiar in that city as though he were still a living prince or had been dead so short a time that old men could still remember him it was his ambition to resemble the great Roman emperors and refined by his Byzantine education he took singular delight in cultivating the arts and in adorning his favorite city of residence with those superb monuments of which I am about to speak a marvelous edifice is the church first dedicated to the savior by Theodoric consecrated later to Saint Martin when from the decoration of its roof it took the name of San Martino de Cielo Gioro and again consecrated in the name it now bears of San Apollonare Nuovo of the original building erected by Theodoric to be the church of his court and enclosed by him within the ambit of his palace nothing decorative is seen externally since both the portico and the bifura window with two lights are of the Renaissance while the round bell tower shaped like a minaret and entirely eastern in aspect probably dates from the ninth century when bells came into general use as we entered between the rows of columns said to have been brought from the villa Pinciana in Rome and contemplate the splendor of the mosaics the architectural and decorative taste of the artists employed by the romanized goth come upon us as a complete surprise above the windows and below the vault of the apps originally adorned with mosaics like the walls of the nave was formally to be read the inscription Theodoric srex Ankh Ecclesium a fundamentis in nominee Domini nostri Jesus Christi facet in his scheme of mosaic decoration Theodoric divided both walls of the nave of the church into three zones in the uppermost zone of the left hand wall are 13 designs each illustrating a parable a miracle or some other incident in the life of Christ in the middle zone are figured 16 holy personages prophets and saints in the lowest zone we see at one end the city of classe with its harbor and lighthouses at the other the virgin and child seated between angels similarly on the uppermost zone of the right hand wall are 13 groups representing incidents in the passion of our Lord or subsequent to his resurrection in the middle zone are other 16 holy personages while in the lowest zone are seen at one end the savior seated between angels at the other end the palace of Theodoric with the churches of rovenna rising behind it the mosaics of the uppermost and middle zones of both walls remain almost holy intact as do also the designs at the ends of the lowest zones but in the greater part of the intervening space in these last the work of Theodoric's artist has been replaced by other work of half a century later under the colonnades of the palace as originally depicted were seated diverse personages of the gothic court above the curtains added by later artists vestiges of six heads can be discerned and traces of three hands are still visible on the columns the figure of Theodoric on horseback has likewise been removed from the pediment of the palace and from under the gate of the city another larger seated figure the outline of which can still be traced but no trace remains of the mosaics which originally adorned the wide spaces extending between the savior and the palace on the right hand wall or between the Madonna and the city of Colossae on the left hand wall of the nave at the present day we see in their place on the left a long row or procession of virgins on the right a similar file of martyrs but these are substituted work of the second half of the sixth century the original decorations occupying these spaces have been wholly obliterated from which it may be inferred that these decorations represented either subjects illustrating tenants of the Arian belief or more probably incidents in the life of Theodoric himself but if so why should these have been cancelled and others substituted Theodoric died executed by the orthodox church not so much perhaps for the Arian tenants he professed as for the cruel persecutions which stained the closing years of his life more especially the martyrdoms of Boethias, Samachas, and Pope John I consequently every reference in art to his person, his triumphs, or his faith became hateful and was suppressed the old chronicler Agnello testifies to this when he relates that the archbishop bearing the same name as himself about the year 560 reconsecrated this and other churches of the Goths a little before he had mentioned among the churches expurgated by the archbishop this church of San Martín in Cielo Gioro the period intervening between Theodoric's death and the archbishops accession to the Episcopal throne was a brief one barely 30 years but within that short space of time most momentous changes had taken place in the government in the form of faith and in the art of Ravenna the Goths had been vanquished and driven out of Italy the Byzantines under Belisarius and Narcissus had entered on possession bringing with them a new splendor and new artistic feeling developed to their fullest extent in the decoration of the churches of San Michele in Afresisco San Vitale and San Apollinaire in Classe and of all the other churches of Ravenna which were completed between the years 540 and 547 by Julian the Treasurer the difference existing between the mosaic work of Ravenna under the rule of the late western emperors and of the Goths and that executed after the re-establishment of the eastern empire and the institution of the exarchs is clearly seen when studied in their form, feeling, technique and even in their material substance and confirms what we are told by Cassiodorus and by other writers that theodoric partly from individual taste partly from policy employed Roman artists direct inspection of the work itself is of more importance in this case than any other evidence and it is surprising to find how long the obvious difference to which I refer has escaped the eyes of the historian and the art critic laying aside therefore for the present the study of those other monuments in Ravenna in which traditional Roman forms everywhere prevail as in the mausoleum of Placidia in the baptistery of the cathedral and elsewhere let us limit ourselves wholly to confronting the two styles as they are seen in the church of Saint Apollinaire Nuovo that portion of its mosaic work which we may call Roman rejects all ornament and seems to borrow its forms from statuary the figures of the prophets in full face wrapped in their mantles with a book or a scroll in their hands seem true and direct reproductions of statues the Chiata scroll is scarcely interrupted by the rows in their flesh tints or the red in the binding of their books standing firmly on a ground representing the base in perspective they vary the pose of their hands and the sweep of their robes in attitudes which are all to be seen in ancient sculptures the folds of their garments admirably shaded in varying gradations of tone reveal with accuracy the forms they cover their heads well set upon strong necks when viewed closely show an ample scale of tints as many as 14 full of force and daring in the use of purples and violets their hair curls and clusters in natural curves the same art is revealed in the designs of the uppermost zones though as these include groups of figures and rural backgrounds the coloring is a little more varied but always without decorative excess without violent tones discreet harmonious very different methods and artistic ideals are shown in the two files of figures in the lowest zones already referred to as representing virgins and martyrs the points of junction with the original mosaics are plainly seen and the different quality of the mastic all care for form seems to be lost in the anxiety to produce decorative effect the figures succeed one another without variety as though all were cast in the same mold the sense of kiyota scuro has almost entirely disappeared the folds of the white robes of the martyrs are indicated by long dry angular unshaded lines often greatly disfiguring the person the hands are all alike the feet heavy clumsy sometimes deformed the hair on the misshapen heads resembles the tiny skull caps worn by priests the flesh tints have no chromatic variety but are based on four or five tones at most the virgins opposite doubtless produce a different effect but not because their forms are better they surprise and dazzle by the splendor of their robes embroidered with gold and flowers of their diadems necklaces and girdles glittering with gold and gems the very ground on which they tread is sprinkled with flowers while the delicate interlacing overhead of the palm branches laden with fruit heightens the glow of this marvelous ineffable procession which from the monotonous repetition of a single figure acquires something of a musical rhythm a sameness as of a litany surprising and exalting but the beauty is wholly decorative not of form it might be said that as with the roman artists the feeling for form has been inspired by severe classical sculpture so with the Byzantines the decorative influence has been imparted in contemplating the gorgeous textures of the east the chromatic diversity of the tessere which enabled the Byzantine to express an infinity of details serves the roman artist to model better and to throw into relief in the female figures of the uppermost zones we find no luxury of ornament the lightness of their vestments and transparency of their flesh is attained by the union and fusion of many tints whereas in the faces of the virgins mouth eyes and nose are indicated by outline rather than by shading so that while for their flesh two or three tones only suffice to pass from red to white a hundred vivid colors and a bountiful profusion of discs of mother of pearl seem hardly enough to furnish the gems and embroideries of their garments we must however recognize that if in design and so to speak in substance the mosaic work of the roman tradition is more solid and beautiful the Byzantine with its unrestrained luxury of ornament is more magnificent and consequently more decorative be this as it may no cloth of gold could spread itself out more superbly than do these mosaics wherein are depicted the king's palace and the churches of ravenna the harbor with its ships and lighthouses the walls and roman buildings of classy the long files of martyrs and virgins the wise kings of the east following their guiding star the Madonna and child the redeemer seated between angels above these the prophets and holy fathers of the church still higher the small well-filled designs illustrating the life of Christ his parables and miracles the man sick of the palsy takes up his bed and walks the man possessed with devils has them cast out when they enter into the herd of swine which rushes down into the sea the paralytic of Capernaum is let down from the roof to be healed by Christ Christ sits as judge and divides the sheep from the goats in this mosaic the angel on Christ's right hand who has charge of the sheep is radiant in robes flesh tints and orial the angel on the left who has charged the goats is overshadowed as it were by a livid purple light diffused over his whole person the poor widow of the parable gives her might the Pharisee with upraised hands stands by the temple gate and thanks God that he is not as other men are while the publican with bent head smites his breast and prays God to be merciful to him a sinner swathed in grave clothes revealing his wasted frame Lazarus comes forth from the tomb the woman of Samaria in a garment of varying hue stands by Jacob's well holding in her hands the picture of water she has just drawn while she looks at and converses with our savior the woman who has suffered from an issue of blood for twelve years touches the hem of Christ's mantle and is healed the two blind men of Jericho raise their sad faces in anxiety to know whether their sight is to be restored white haired Peter and Andrew with rough gray locks leave their nets to follow Christ and become fishers of men Christ holds in his hand the five loaves and the two fishes where with the multitude is to be fed in the final group on the left wall of the nave is the figure of a youth presenting baskets to Christ archaeologists have hazarded many conjectures as to the occasion to which the picture refers all however have agreed in believing that the figures of Christ and the disciple have been renewed while that of the youth bending down is ancient and might possibly form part of a representation of Christ's entry into Jerusalem careful examination however reverses this judgment the figures of Christ and the disciple are ancient the youth and the baskets are restorations of last century these baskets altered by an ignorant restorer were the jars containing the water which was changed into wine at the marriage in Cana of Galilee the bent figure is that of the serving man who is testing the miraculous liquid on the opposite wall of the church we have the tragic presentment of Christ's last sad days upon earth during which more mundane matters fail to receive his attention his neglected beard grows rough and ragged revealing perhaps the Aryan belief that the son is not of the same divine essence as the father in the first group we have the representation of the last supper the disciples recline on the triclinium Christ has said that one of them will betray him some look inquiringly at their master others cast withering glances at the suspected traitor in the next group Christ with eleven of his disciples are seen on the Mount of Olives the kiss of Judas whose treachery is expressed in every line of his face and figure Christ is led off to the judgment seat he stands before Caiaphas and Sanhedrim he foretells that Peter will deny him Peter denies his Lord Judas offers back the price of betrayal Pilate washes his hands Christ is led to Calvary the women weep at the supple cur finally to simple and serene compositions the disciples journeyed to Emmaus and Christ shows his wounds to doubting Thomas end of the mosaics of Ravenna Italy an excerpt from Ravenna by Conrad Ricci translated from the Italian 1907 read for LibriVox by Sue Anderson the murder trial of James Sullivan by anonymous from the New York Times September 24th, 1851 this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Oyer and Terminer Tuesday before Chief Justice Edmonds Alderman Kelly and Chapman the court met at 10 a.m. the district attorney called on the case of Antoine Lopez indicted for the murder of Michael Foster fourth ward policeman James M. Smith, Jr. applied for a postponement of the trial of the prisoner on account of the absence of witnesses the district attorney said his only objection to this course was that he had three witnesses in close confinement who could not give security one of them had a wife in great distress the court ordered $50 to be paid to the witness Sanders for the support of his wife the case then went off for the term caution to jurors the clerk having called the panel of jurors and 35 not answering to their names the chief justice said that although he was reluctant to impose the fine of $25 every day as it would amount to something serious yet he should go on and do so as he was determined to have the assistance of the intelligent citizens whose names were in the jury box the general impression was that a juryman was only liable to pay one fine of $25 when the fact was he was liable for every day he stayed away from his duty during the sitting of the court the case of angelo squarza indicted for the spruce street murder the district attorney moved that three witnesses for the prosecution be put under recognizances and stated that a fourth witness had gone away which compelled him to postpone trial until next term the district attorney moved in the case of james sullivan indicted for the murder of edward smith on the 10th of august last at a house in cliff street the prisoner a man about 35 years of age of the appearance of an ordinary working man short in stature and a native of ireland was put to the bar the honorable robert h morris and mr buckley appeared to defend the prisoner the district attorney and mr hall for the people 12 jurors were called and took their seats when mr morris challenged seven of those preemptorily they having served on the panel which tried molvi the eighth who had also sat on that case was excused by consent and the ninth challenged preemptorily and mr bailey on being challenged for favor said he had formed an opinion of the case from reading a report of the coroner's inquest the juror was examined by the court and severely represented for forming an opinion on a newspaper version of the case the juror said in his defense that his opinion was not so firmly rooted but that it could be removed by evidence and he would try the prisoner according to the evidence induced mr morris offered to withdraw the challenge but the district attorney renewed the challenge the chief justice read the law as settled in the supreme court in the case of the people versus madder in the fourth of window mr bailey was disqualified according to that decision to which morris for the prisoner accepted a juror who had sat on the trial of clark for murder was challenged peremptorily by mr morris as also five other jurors making an all 13 peremptorily one was excused on account of having conscientious scruples against capital punishment the following jurors were then sworn in the usual way to try the prisoner one washington m thwarman two ld burdett three david delancey four john chastle five william h brooks six george bacon seven alexander s colbert eight william c leman nine richard mortimer 10 jason mccann 11 peter w steel 12 john allison the district attorney briefly opens the case for the prosecution the prisoner at the bar was indicted for the murder of edward smith on sunday night at number four cliff street about one o'clock p.m that house is a two-story brick house having an attic it is partially occupied by a mrs ferris as a boarding house the deceased was a border and occupied a room in the upper story the prisoner with his family occupied the back room in the second story with his wife and child and a cousin they were not borders but had that portion of the house on the sunday alluded to the deceased was sitting upstairs with a friend when he heard a noise as of the breaking of furniture or dishes from the room of the prisoner the deceased went to the room a scuffle ensued and although the deceased had interfered to protect the wife yet in accordance with the old adage she turned upon the intruder and in the scuffle which ensued among them the deceased received two wounds one of which proved fatal in less than an hour the police have been sent for previously and came about the time of the fatal blow but could not find the knife although they found a piece of cloth with which it had been wiped frederick g la roye md by district attorney i am a surgeon of the new york city hospital on a sunday in august last was called to cliff street to make a post mortem examination found two smooth edged wounds both inflicted with a sharp knife one on the left shoulder one in the groin the former about four inches in depth one inch in length which laid the bone bare it was done with a sharp pointed instrument it narrowed as it went in the serious wound was in the left groin it was four inches in depth about two inches in length it had divided the principal branch of the main artery at the limb there was also a wound at the femoral vein a mere puncture it had been caused by the same instrument but turned and made larger the cause of death was the large loss of blood from the artery and vein thus wounded by the jury the wound on the shoulder might have been made either from behind or before the deceased the wound in the groin must have been from the outside aliza h ferris by district attorney i lived in cliff street last august took the whole house myself kept three rooms myself and let others the second story was let mrs sullivan had the back room mrs martin the front mrs sullivan did not board with me edward smith boarded with me between four and five weeks he was a quiet sober man on the day he was killed i was at home giving the men their dinner on the first floor mr brennan mr welch mr fitzgerald and mccabe my husband was at home with our two sons two small children and four other persons during the dinner i heard a noise of something breaking upstairs i applied to one of the men at dinner and he went upstairs it was fitzgerald i said i'd go up myself to make peace i met sullivan's wife at her own door outside on the landing about the breadth of two boards i saw sullivan and spoke to his wife saying go in and make peace in the name of god she said go in and i went sullivan had a small weapon of the substance of a small poker in his left hand he was breaking some things on the table crockery wear he was alone i told him if he did not respect himself he must respect me he raised his hand and slapped me with his right hand on the cheek then my husband called me downstairs sullivan said nothing to me but his wife told him not to hurt mrs ferris i then went down to my own room and stood by the door could not see the door of sullivan's room the next i heard was smith came downstairs with his hand to his side he came into the dining room and said he was stabbed and was going before his god mr morris objected to the evidence of what the deceased had said the court decided it to be proper and mr morris accepted by the district attorney that was all i heard smith say he died in about 10 or 12 minutes i had not seen him from bedtime the night previous until i saw him come down with his hand to his side this was on sunday about one o'clock i had not heard the voice of smith but i heard a noise on the landing near sullivan's room the same as jostling and heard the breaking of things as before it might have been half an hour or three quarters the scuffling was going on but i was in such a fright and tremor that i could not tell what was doing smith had blood about his person all over and blood also on the stairs some person went for an officer i sent my own son before smith was stabbed and after i came downstairs saw no officers downstairs until smith was stabbed and captain lennard was the first one that came i went up in person along with the officer the room sullivan was in was locked and his wife was outside i told the officer to break open the door and then mrs sullivan gave the key to the policemen i believe his name was sullivan also the policemen went into the room and seized the prisoner sullivan i stood at the door he the prisoner was standing in the jam of the door or close by on the left side where the lock is i can't say what the prisoner said the weapon i spoke of was of iron about the size of a poker for the grade of a stove the council for the prisoner declined to the cross-examination of the witness for the present mary moran examined i am first cousin to the prisoner and board in his family consisted of his wife and two small children in august last i know smith on the sunday spoken of we were about sitting down to dinner when the little girl sullivans asked him for some money he said he had none his wife replied that he was able to spend his money himself he said nothing but turned round and began to break the things his wife began to cry and then mrs ferris came up from below stairs i saw him take the skimmer from the wall to break the things and i told him not to break the things anymore he took up his hand and gave me a slap here pointing to her shoulder when he gave me the slap i took the baby and carried it into the front room it was two months old at that time i then heard smith coming but don't know if he came from the garret or not i heard him say it was a shame to be breaking more of the dishes at that time he was standing alone near the wall and mrs sullivan was at the front room door smith said that sullivan was no decent man sullivan said that he had a right to do as he minded with his own smith said that for the next thing he broke he would have to suffer no sooner had smith said the words then the prisoner began to break more things and smith took hold of him by the hair and slapped his face the prisoner also took hold of smith and they scuffled outside the door having each other by the hair of their head they were thus pulling and slapping each other when mr martin came out of the front room and i went in she shutting the door on may and shutting mrs sullivan out and then i did not see anything until after smith was stabbed i next heard smith cry murder he was killed he said this going down the stairs mrs sullivan was outside i remained outside when smith took hold of sullivan mrs sullivan took hold of smith by the hair of his head after smith was wounded and sullivan taken by the police mrs sullivan handed me a knife it was a pen knife not very large it was not open could not say how large i put it in a bag in the back room the court here suggested the propriety of the jury viewing the scene of the murder and for this purpose took a recess evening session mary moran recalled by the district attorney i think the knife i spoke of had a dark handle i do not recollect seeing a rag which had blood on it i do not know where the bag was but think it hung up in the closet mrs sullivan was in the room the knife was not like the one now produced as i think the handle was larger i do not remember of any rags having blood except the cravat that sullivan had on it was like the one now produced which he had on at the station house mr morris declined asking the witness any questions richard brennan examined by the district attorney on the 10th august last i boarded with mrs ferris in cliff street i knew edward smith from his boarding there occupied the same room with him the front floor on the third story i was with him on the sunday he was killed we were sitting in the bedroom he was just dressing himself in a clean shirt had no coat on i had taken my dinner i believe he had black cloth pants on when i was eating my dinner i heard a noise in sullivan's room it sounded like breaking of crockery wear and a great must between a man and his wife heard the noise going up and after we had got up it was like the breaking of furniture smith asked me what was the matter of sullivan i said that sullivan and his wife were quarreling and smith said when he went down he would try and settle it he went down and stood across the jam of the door with his hands folded mrs sullivan was in the opposite room smith said it was a shame to be making such a row on the sabbath day he had a sober wife and ought not to be going on so sullivan replied he had a right to be doing as he liked in his own place i was on the same landing as they were at that time just at the moment that sullivan said he had a right to do as he liked smith went into the room and i remonstrated with sullivan telling him it was a shame to be breaking things things appeared then to be a little quieter and i told mrs sullivan i thought all would be quiet and i went out to get some matches when i came up mrs sullivan was crying and i advised her to go and hide herself i believe she did so i went up to my own room and then i heard a scuffling and looking down i saw the prisoner and the deceased lying across the jam of the door half in and half out another border came up and smith kept telling the prisoner not to pull his shirt about and mrs sullivan then came out of the front room and began clawing the deceased mary maran then came out with the child on one arm and assisted in clawing the deceased he had a very valuable watch and i was afraid it might disengage it from his neck after they were separated the two women kept clawing and tearing him and sullivan came out of his room and struck him a slap on the face the deceased then became very angry and made a blow but whether he struck the prisoner i cannot say at this time mrs ferris came upstairs caught hold of my trousers and besought me to go down and i did so few minutes after this smith came down with his shirt torn i said for god's sake do not go up again he persisted in going up but asked who had his watch i said i had he said all right i begged of him not to go up i thought to terrify him from going up by telling him to look out for the knife a few moments after he came downstairs and said i'm stabbed i'm killed he was bleeding in the most horrible manner i don't suppose 10 seconds had elapsed he had only eight stairs to go up and i heard it as soon as he got up it must have been the moment he reached the landing that he received the blow i cannot tell who was at the head of that flight of stairs i heard smith say nothing more than that i'm dead i'm stabbed i'm stabbed i heard somebody else give a kind of ball some kind of noise it was principally a man's voice smith came into the room where we used to eat our meals laid down on the floor and died i saw a wound on the shoulder near the arm and one in the groin i saw his pantaloons afterwards the same is now produced here a pair of pantaloons were exhibited to the jury which had been evidently saturated with blood and a cut on the left side the shirt was covered over the body of smith after his death which accounted for the blood on it i remained in the hall after the death of smith and the first officer that came in i delivered up the watch to him the next man that came was an officer and they asked where the murderer was i said upstairs and they went up and i saw them no more until they brought the prisoner through the hall he said nothing the prisoner's room was on the left hand and a person going to the room would receive a blow on the left i was at the foot of the stairs trying to dissuade smith from going upstairs and i heard the prisoner's voice as if from the landing i am certain i did see him as well as hear his voice by morris when smith asked who had his watch and i told him he was about four steps up the first light of stairs towards the room of the prisoner james welch by district attorney i lived at number four cliff street in august last i knew edward smith and was at home the day of his death on that day he was not in a dinner heard smith remonstrate with sullivan on the folly of breaking the little things smith went to go down to dinner and sullivan went back to the room to break the things smith followed in they clenched and rolled on the ground the women then came and helped sullivan they had a struggle and sullivan ran toward the cupboard in his room they'd been outside before this i ran downstairs because i was afraid of a small pistol which sullivan had used the fourth of july and i was afraid i might be the victim next i met smith coming downstairs with his shirt torn he gave it to me and turned back to sullivan i followed him and saw sullivan meet him on the lobby and i don't think two seconds had elapsed before smith turned round and said i'm stabbed he came down and the blood was spouting over him which made a young woman faint and he came into the dining room where he died he was laid on his back by mr ferris who was giving him a glass of water i said there's someone in the bureau but finding he was losing his swallow i went up to dr henry and when i came back i found the policeman at the door and sullivan taken off when i got in i went with the officer to the room of sullivan and found a number of pen knives in the closet which the officer took possession of i saw a rag in the hands of a policeman which had blood on it at the time they were struggling smith had sullivan by the hair and he had smith by the shirt who was endeavoring to get loose from the woman i could not say that smith struck any blow or that he didn't he was not in a position to strike a blow cross examined i was below smith and he was between me and sullivan about five steps between us i took hold of sullivan once to endeavor to loosen him away from smith as i knew he would not follow up the thing by the district attorney smith was a looking glass and picture frame maker and sometimes worked in a shipyard by mr buckley i think there was an unfriendly feeling between smith and sullivan before this by the district attorney on the saturday before this i met smith and he asked me to go with him and he would introduce me to a namesake we went together to a public house where sullivan came in and smith said mr sullivan's going to stand around for us all sullivan said it ought to be his turn on the double smith then began to joke sullivan as to which had the most money and he went out and brought in a book with thirty five dollars in it after he had counted it his wife waited outside for the money sullivan indicated ill temper at the time but was under the influence of drink john l o sullivan one of the second word police examined by the district attorney i was the first officer at the house on the day that smith was killed a son of mrs ferris came to me at the station house and i went down on going in i said i was a policeman i found the passage full of people and on going into the basement i saw a man lying on his back he was alive on returning into the hall i met the witness who had the watch of smith and he gave it up to me as it was dark someone said he would go up with me we went up and saw the prisoner's wife standing by the door i asked her to open it she said she had not the key i said i would break open the door and put my foot against it when she gave me the key sullivan was standing by the table convenient to the door i immediately endeavored to secure his hands an officer climb who had followed on immediately took hold on the other side we searched his person but found nothing he did not say anything we could find no knife and took him to the station house on the way there he became very ugly and wanted me to let go of him i asked him where the knife was to which he replied that he had the knife and he would not be going so easily i took him to the station house and locked him up at which he got excited and requested me to knock him on the head and kill him i then returned to the house and searched the place for the knife but could find none i saw a rag with marks of blood upon it as if a man had wiped the blood off his finger on it the room was in great disorder furniture and crockery laying about the room and knives and forks saw none with blood on them by mr buckley i'm sure the prisoner and his answer to me referred to the knife with which smith had been stabbed he also told me in the cells that he didn't stab smith and didn't know who did officer kline of the second ward was examined and corroborated the testimony of the last witness as to the arrest of the prisoner i asked him how he came to kill the man he said if you had been placed under like circumstances you'd have done the same john donnelly examined i am one of the police and proceeded to search the house did not find anything until after sullivan had been taken away then we found a small pen knife we also found a number of pen knives also a rag which lay there there was blood on it and we carried it to the station house rag now produced i did not observe any marks or bruises about the prisoner he made a statement to me in his cell at the station house i asked him how came the blood on this rag mr morris objected to this testimony but was over rolled district attorney what was his reply to your question about the blood on the rag witness he said he was cleaning a table knife i said what he would not make any answer it was about an hour after he was arrested the knife found on mrs sullivan had no blood on it that i could see james lennard examined i'm captain of the second ward police and was so on august last i went to sullivan's house on the occasion referred to i went into the room where the body was the man was not dead the other officers just then arrested sullivan and the women were taken into custody after that we made a search for the knife in the room and all the adjacent rooms the condition of the room was chairs upset cups and saucers on the floor the dinner was on the table boiled leg of mutton i think and i saw a small poker bent at the end i think that was found outside the door the wounds could not have been inflicted with that everything about the man was such a gore of blood that we could not tell exactly where the wound was i spoke to him but he was too far gone to reply there were marks of blood on the stairs the prisoner was a good deal excited from liquor and had a black eye but i could not tell when he got it for the defense margaret martin examined by mr morris a living cliff street in the house of mrs ferris on the day of this affray i was in my own room with my child when my door was pushed open and mrs sullivan entered with mary moran and mr sullivan had hold of his eldest child i asked what was the matter mrs ferris told me sullivan had struck her i told mary moran to stay in my room lest anything should happen to the child i saw sullivan and spoke to him he said his wife had abused him said he would go out and drink more smith then came down words passed between him and sullivan smith said something and the other asked if he called him a black guard smith said no but he was a ruffian and a ruffian was a man who destroyed his property and who proved it in the street there was a scuffle after this the two men had hold of each other and mrs sullivan took hold of smith and said do not kill my husband i turned into my room and saw nothing for a long time saw mrs sullivan rush upstairs and smith after her clutching her by the pole and pulling her down on her back cross examined told the officers i did not know anything of it as it did not wish to appear in court i had a sister with me that day she was downstairs she might have fainted and me not know it i went out on the landing at the time smith ran to prevent the prisoner breaking the things i saw them have hold of each other did not hear smith call out that he was stabbed i did not know that smith was stabbed until two hours after he was dead they said the doctor had hopes of him at the time my husband opened the door he said smith was stabbed john martin examined by mr morris the last witness is my wife i was out walking with my sister-in-law at the time of the occurrence spoken of came home and was through the hall going upstairs when i heard a voice and smith came down all over blood crying i'm stabbed he had a wound in his shoulder i went into my own room and locked the doors and in a few minutes mrs sullivan came and asked admittance i refused to let her in but my wife interfered for her and i let her in did not see sullivan at that time by the district attorney when i saw mrs sullivan she was trying to fasten her own door it strikes me my door was locked and that i went in and locked it from behind catherine cullen examined by mr morris i reside with the last witness was out walking with him that day when we came home he went upstairs and i into the dining room smith brushed past me by the district attorney i did not sit down but went into the middle of the room and asked if my sister was there i was told no and left smith came down and said he was stabbed mary maran recalled by the court i did not know that the package of knives were in the house i did not put a knife in my bosom i never put a knife in my bosom i know mrs foster she is the lady who opened the gate for me at the tombs here mr morris said he wished to have mrs foster here as there was a rumor that she had found a knife in mary's bosom the district attorney said he had heard the same rumor but it turned out to be untrue the case here closed on both sides and mr morris summed up for the prisoner admitting that smith was killed as charged but that the evidence went to show that the wife and sister of the prisoner were equally as guilty as he was the learned gentleman made an eloquent appeal to the jury to acquit the prisoner the district attorney closed the case for the people contending that it was a case of willful murder and that the evidence was conclusive of the guilt of the prisoner the chief justice charged the jury on the law and the facts of the case the jury retired at nine o'clock and in three quarters of an hour returned into court having found the prisoner guilty of murder he manifested no emotion of guilt or surprise at the result the jury were polled at the request of the prisoner's counsel and all answered in the affirmative the district attorney said he should defer the trial of the poisoning case which required considerable investigation until next term the persons were then discharged and the court adjourned to saturday at ten o'clock end of the murder trial of james sullivan by anonymous read by colleen mcman