HERE AND THERE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16635, 18 January 1922, Page 6

HERE AND THERE.

PAYING BACK. A DEBT How a former British soldier repaSfi his debt to an American comrade who saved his life on tlie French battle* fields was revealed recently, when the British ex-soldier, .Harry Haley, released from th© military prison at Forth Leavenworth, Kansas. Haley and the American, ’Diems® Jones, joined the British Army together at the outbreak of war. Senvra.l months later th© two men took part in a raid at dawir.* On the way booh to the British lines under heavy ma-chine-gun and artillery fire, Haley fell with a bullet in his leg. Jones bound up the wound and remained in No Man’s Land with him the whole day until it was dork, when he carried him to shelter. On the entry of the United State® into the war, Jooes transferred to the United States Army. Th© next time the two men ra©t was a little mere than six months in Toronto. Jones was still serving in the Army, but be told Haley that in order to visit his wife, who was seriously ill in Toronto and needed him, he had deserted and was afraid to return. Haley immediately offered to impersonate him, took his papers, donned his uniform, and. crossing th© border, surrendered to tlie nearest garrison. He was sent to Kansas, where he was sentenced by court-martial to imprisonment. After lie bad served six months. Jone® arrived at Fort Leavenworth and discovered the deception. Asked by tb« commanding officer Tiow he came to be there instead of .Tones, Haley simpiy said, “ 1 ain a single man and have no responsibilities. Jones lias a wife and family, who needed him. It wa* a chance to pay him back. 1 took it.” FIGHT IN EXPRESS. Pistols, petrol, and dynamite were used by six bandits who held up the New Orleans Limited, a famous express train of the Illinois Central Railway. near Paxton, 100 miles south of Chicago, blew up the mail coach, and wounded several members of the train ptaff and passengers in a fight on a high trestle bridge. The bandits, who escaped with several bags of registered mails, are being hunted through the State of Illinois l>y sheriffs and posses numbering 500 men. Two *©f the robbers were passengers in the train. 'lliey climbod over the engine tender as the train van travelling at seventy miles an hour, bold revolvers at the heads of th© driver an d stoker and made them stop the train. A third bandit uncoupled the engine, the luggage van. and the mail coach - and the driver was then ordered to drive those on to the trestle bridge half a mile away, where three mono men were waiting. Th© men in the stool mail car refusing to open the doors, th© highwaymen blew them open with dynamite. Th© men inside opened fire with revolver*, to which tli© bandits replied! by throwing in a bottle of petrol and setting the coach on lire. To save themselves the defenders cam© out, bringing several sacks of registered letters. At this moment the remainder of th# staff of the train, reinforced by seversL passengers. arrived and attacked th© bandits, who retreated along th© bridge with their booty. They got into a. waiting motor-car and drove off. Examination of th© oont©nts of the plundered mail vsn ha* disclosed th* fact that th© bandits’ loot amounted only to a few hundred dollars, they having failed to locate bags said to contain for which, it i» believed, they were looking. MOUNTAIN RAILWAYS. The mountain railways up th© Rigi, Mount Pjlatus, and Vesuvius have ,t rival in that in th© Far Weit, which runs from Mnnitou to the summit of Pike's Peak in Colorado. This noted prairie landmark was discovered and named by Major Zebulon Pike in 180 C, and is 14,336 feet above th© level of the sea. Its summit is covered with jjerpetual snow, and it affords a magnificent prospect of the Rocky Mountain chain on tho west, and th© illimitable plains on the east. Manitou, which lies among the picturesque foothills at its base, is celebrated as a watering place, owing to its nearly perfect climate, the medicinal properties of its mineral springs, and its charming scenery. The Peak was first utilised by the War Department as a signal station, and tourists ascending to th© station spread the reputation of its scenery. Horse trails were made along the streams. That known as lluxton Trail, bordering on the beautiful Ruxtou Creek, and tho most direct and interesting road from Manitou* became tho favourite path to the summit seven miles distant. It is by this route that th© railway passes. STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. One might possibly get rich quickly if he were struck by lightning—but ’tis a somewhat risky business. It is possible for lightning to change gold into silver, and silver into gold, for whenever lightning strikes money there is a possibility of the coins being transformed by the mysterious fluid. Some years ago an instance of this kind oc-» curred at Nantes. A man was walking along the street when suddenly hci was enveloped in lightning, yet remained uninjured. On arriving home, however, lie wa® amazed to find thata gold pieo© had vanished from hia purse, and in its place was substituted a silver piece. The lightning had, in fact, penetrated th© leather of thd purse ans covered the gold piece with a coating of silver taken from two other coins. With foodstuffs lightning frequently act* the robber, and extraordinary happenings have been recorded from time t© time. On on« occasion a party of tourists were preparing dinner when suddenly and without warning a storm arose, followed immediately by vivid flashes of lightning- A few seconds later not ft trace of the prepared meal was to t>€> seen. Th© dishes were strewn on the ground, but all tlie bread, cheese, and fruit had vanished, while the bewildered tourists were covered from head to foot with straw. On on© ©ecaeion & man wa* once sti uck by lightning and carried a distance of 150 ft without} being in the least conscious that anything unusual had happened until hd was flung up against a wall and received a slight bruise on tho knee. Oh another occasion a party of were caught in a storm and sotig/itl refuge under a tree. All of them were struck by lightning and killed.