Fred Fearnot's Day, or The Great Reunion at Avon
ITEMS OF INTEREST
MORE AVIATORS KILLED.
Captain Gaston Niquet, of the First Artillery, and Lieutenant Jean Louis Delvert of the Twenty-first Artillery both attached temporarily to the French Array Aviation Corps, were killed by falling with their biplane while flying over the military aerodrome, Bourges, France. Lieutenant Delvert was acting as pilot. The officers intended to drop explosive bombs and had reached a height of about 300 feet. In making a turn the biplane suddenly inclined to the left and fell. Delvert was picked up dead, and Captain Niquet died within a few minutes. The bombs were found among the wreckage. Lieutenant Delvert had been drafted by the Experimental Commission, succeeding Lieutenant Jean Kreyder, who was killed during a flight near here last May.
WHITE HOUSE RELICS FOUND.
An old armchair in which a British officer sat the day the capitol of the United States was burned in 1812 and a bureau, originally placed in the White House when it was occupied by George and Martha Washington, are in the possession of Mr. and Mrs. L. L. Lawrence, of Portland, Ind. The two pieces have been handed down from Henry Ingle, Mrs. Lawrence's grandfather. Henry Ingle supplied much of the furniture that was placed in the White House and George Washington's Mount Vernon home. After the bureau had been in the White House a while, one of the drawers stuck and it was returned to Ingle, who sent it to his home. The chair was on the porch of the Ingle home in Washington when the British burned the capital. An officer of a regiment of the troops which had stopped in the street went upon the porch, took possession of the easy chair and then ordered the Ingle family to serve him dinner.
SECRET DRAWERS.
Two old Chippendale writing desks which were sold in one of the art galleries of New York recently contained secret compartments. One of these had on either end what appeared to be sets of leather covered books, but pressing a spring showed the books to be nothing but the backs of small doors concealing a small compartment. At the top of the other desk were apparently three small drawers, but these, like the books, were only drawers in appearances. A spring opens the door which the drawerfronts formed and inside was a compartment fitted with small drawers. There was nothing in any of the secret compartments. The days of finding lost wills and other treasures in such places have gone.
"Fifteen years or so ago," said the auctioneer, "in Cincinnati an old secretary was brought to me to be sold which had belonged to an elderly woman. She was related to persons who are now of world-wide reputation. As the men were moving this secretary we thought we heard a rattling sound and upon examination we found a secret compartment with nearly $300 in gold pieces in it.
"You can't deceive persons in that way now. They know too much about secret drawers and hiding places. Why, in those days when we got upholstered furniture, sofas and chairs, the first thing the men did was to make a careful examination of everything to see if there was money or valuables of any kind concealed. Putting your hand down between the seat and back of a stuffed chair you were likely to bring up anything-money in bills or coin, deeds, wills, all sorts of things that persons wanted to put away for safe keeping.
"Nothing of that kind happens now. Persons are more careful of their belongings for one thing; they have more faith in safe deposit boxes, and if they did hide anything in a stuffed chair that is the first place the heirs would look for it."
PADEREWSKI'S SWORN DENIAL.
Ignace Jan Paderewski, the Polish pianist, whose Western tour has been hampered by threats arising from a rumor, coming no one knows whence, that he had contributed to the founding of a Polish newspaper which attacks the Jews, has been so much annoyed by the outcome that be has made am affidavit denying the accusations.
The affidavit was made at El Paso de Robles, Cal., on February 5, and is now in the possession of a friend. Here it is: State of California, County of San Luis Obispo, ss: Ignace Jan Paderewski, being first duly sworn, deposes and says: My home is at Morges, in Switzerland; I am temporarily sojourning at the Hot Springs at El Paso de Robles, in California. During the last year I have been publicly subjected to many unjust charges, which have caused many of my friends indignation and concern. For the satisfaction of those good friends, and for such use as they may make of this affidavit, and to all whom it may concern, I hereby swear and declare: That I never gave money to any anti-jewish newspaper whatsoever;
That the establishment of the newspaper of which I am accused of being the founder was absolutely unknown to me, and in fact I only heard of its existence for the first time since two months after, date upon which (as I am informed) it was founded:
That I never initiated or supported the boycotting of the Jewish trade in Poland, being entirely out of and not taking any part in active politics in Poland.
(Signed) T. J. PADEREWSKI
The matter did not come to public attention while the pianist was playing here this fall, but reports have come from various cities on his tour to the effect that threats of personal violence and organized boycotts against his concerts were being used against him.
