HISTORY OF A CLOCK.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3163, 18 August 1881, Page 4

HISTORY OF A CLOCK.

A foreign journal gives the following his-t-rv of an extraordinary clock : — 'n 1700, the widow of a poor Protestant clcirvman, named Herold, lived in the small town of Libau, in She was exceedingly charitable. One winter's night an officer passed through Libau on his way to the army. He asked at the ihn for some warm beverage, but could obtain none ; he applied in vain at several houses. It was not until be knocked at the clergyman's widow's door that he at last obtained a dish of hot tea. It greatly comforted the weary soldier. Just before he set out on his journey he offered her money for her pains, which she declined. He remembered he had a lottery ticket in his pocket; tbe prize was a clock, reckoned to bo worth $64,000. He made the widow accept this ticket as a souvenir of him. The ticket remained forgotten in a drawer. Her children had so often played with it as a ' picture' that it was well nigh in pieces. The number which drew the capital prize was repeatedly announced in the newspaper, hut no one came to claim tho valuable clock. <~>ne day a gentleman happened to enter the house, and, seeing the mutilated lottprv tinkft stuck between the glass and fr«me of a looking-glass, glanced curiously ot it., and whs amazed to discover the oftenndrprtivd number of the ticket which had drawn the capital prize in the clock lottery. Tho valuable clock was given to the poor clerirv man's widow. The Emperor of TCussia offerer! tier^rezornTTroHara"and a life annuity of 800 dollars for it. She accepted the imperial offer, and the clock is to this day one of the chief ornaments of the Winter Palace at St. Petersburg. T > ■ exterior of the clock represents an nntique Greek temple, and the interior contains two orchestras, which play together one of the most celebrated pieces of Mozart's ' J)n Juan.' Trie widow strove to abtain the name of her unknown benefactor; and, although the Czar ordered the police to aid her, all her efforts were in vain.