Melted Wax

Thirty years ago, rural visitors to Manhattan were careful to see the Eden Musee which, like Madame Tussaud's* in London and the Grevin in Paris, was a gallery of wax statues. The collection was at that time situated on 23rd Street; of late years, its patronage lessened but not destroyed, the Eden Musee has been located on Coney Island.

Last week a fire started in the Eden Musee. It began burning near Charlie Chaplin's effigy; the sad and funny little man subsided mournfully into smoking grease. The flames leaped from figure to figure, stroking their oily faces with a hot and magic hand. Before long, all the ugly famous criminals, the sly and silent actresses, the solemn, musty presidents and the fake policemen stationed to fool visitors--all these people with their stiff faces and their blind, secretive eyes, sharing also with their no less sly, no less secretive models the total inability to escape destruction, became puddles or streams of burning wax. Lindbergh looked brave no longer, a murderer lowered the frail knife which he had held so long in a poised and useless threat. All this frail company of famous people dwindled, slipped, leaned and perished into a huge and hungry flame. The owner of the Eden Musee, one Gumpertz, was away in the South. Firemen came, the manager's 16-year old daughter, Lillian Seeger, pleaded with them and stared and cried. The fire went on burning; nobody could stop it.

Fat Woman

In Jamaica, L. I., one Mrs. Florence Schlenbaum, weight 580 lbs., appeared in court. She was charged with leaning against Mrs. Katherine Link, a neighbor, "She called me a large, fat, red-hot mamma . . . in the heat of the moment, perhaps I did get too close to her . . ." said Mrs. Schlenbaum and paid a fine of $25. Then she waddled slowly away, accompanied by her sister, Anna, weight 576 lbs.

Miller's Misfortune

In Dahlonega, Ga., one Mr. Miller was reputed to have observed that the hands of the clock on his mantelpiece had stopped going round. Mr. Miller pulled out his watch so that he might set the stopped clock. In doing so he pulled out $120 which fell to the hearth and began to burn. Mr. Miller dropped his clock key thereby breaking his clock spring in his haste to get water to extinguish his burning money. When he got the water and poured it on the fire, the steam which arose scalded Mr. Miller's child. Mr. Miller's money was completely burnt up.

Poor Hantz

In York, Pa., one Joseph Hantz, bum, was arrested for trespassing. Hearing of this arrest, L. D. Hantz, Assemblyman, no relative but proud of the name of Hantz, went to court to plead for Joseph. When his pleas were successful, proud Assemblyman Hantz gave slouching Bum Hantz the price of his fine together with a oneway ticket to Washington, D. C.

* Madame Tussaud's wax works partially burned up in March 1925.