The wild eyes of childhood are watching the nimble puppets. There is a long row of wide-awake little faces on the front bench. If, gentle reader, you are above the age of twenty years, you will remember amidst your early reminiscences, the far-famed Maelzel's exhibition. It might have been a sound from the crackling wood-work, or the breaking window-panes, but, certain it is, that we thought we heard, through the struggling flames, and above the, din of outside thousands, the last words of our departed friend, the sternly whispered, oft-repeated syllables, Échec! Échec! He who had seen Moscow perish, knew no fear of fire. The landing above us was concealed by a curtain of thick smoke, now and then alive, as it were, with quick tongues of writhing flame. Struggling through the dense crowd, we entered the lower hall, and passing to the far end, reached the foot of a small back stair case. At the eastern end of this building, nearest to the fire, our friend had dwelt for many years.
FRITZ CHESS THE TURK WINDOWS
A dozen dwellings were blazing fiercely, and the smoke and flame were already curling in eddies about the roof, and through the windows of the well known Chinese Museum. The front of the Girard House was on fire. The east roof of the National Theatre was a mass of whirling flames. It was in Philadelphia, on the night of the 5th of July, 1854, about half-past ten o'clock. The writer of this sketch was near the deceased at the time of his death. As a republican, he must undoubtly claim our respect, since, perhaps, no other man has ever checked the march of so many kings as he. Laurence, amid devouring flames, shedding no tears, and meeting his fate with the tranquil resignation of a man in a box, with anchylosis of both inferior extremities. In the course of his long and industrious life, he accumulated a large estate, which he survived to see wasted by the extravagance of another. Later in life, he was the friend of Franklin, the opponent of George the Third, and Louis the XV.-the slave of Eugene de Beauharnais-the conqueror of Napoleon-the favorite of Frederick the Great, and the Grand Turk-to-day a pet of aristocratic circles-to-morrow the denizen of a garret. It is, however, but little to his credit, that he beat his father before he was six months old, and not long after, waged successful war against his legitimate sovereign, the Empress Maria Theresa. Though compelled, by circumstances of primitive formation, to remain seated during many long years, and though gifted by illiberal Nature with the use of but one arm, he exhibited signs of a clear and precocious intellect. Although himself a Christian, he had the singular caprice of clothing his child in oriental attire, and even obliged him to wear, during his whole life, the outward emblems of the creed of Mahomet From his earliest years the lamented departed wore a look of solemn gravity He never smiled, and was rarely heard to speak. His paternal relative was a Hungarian official of good birth and fair character. If he ever had a mother, history has failed to record her name. The subject of our sketch was born of reputable parentage, about the close of the year 1769, in the city of Presburg, in Hungary. His paradoxical existence has at last come to a close, and we are now called upon to allude to the incidents of a career more than usually eventful. A constitution of iron enabled him to endure with patience long voyages, changing climates, and many sad reverses.
FRITZ CHESS THE TURK SERIES
One of the most famous personages of the last hundred years has passed away, and it would, indeed, be neglectful to omit some notice of one whose long life has been a series of such strange vicissitudes and changing fortunes. Written by the son (with apparent input from the father) of the last owner of the automaton, the perspective is both unique and relevant.īy Silas Weir Mitchell, son of John Kearsley Mitchell This article is among the most important and least accessible treatises on the Turk.