The sensational news of an ut expected discovery of oil in Habis which appeared in yesterday's bie Tingual "Harbin Herald" caused a lot of excitement in town. Thi published in both its English and Russian sections a detailed account of how a Russian house-owner had called in the services of a contracting firm to clean-up the court yard. Whilst this was taking place, a workman accidentally drove his pick-axe deep into the frozen ground and was thrown'off his feet by the gush of a dirty-looking, evil-smelling tuid, which soon covered the entire surface of the courtyard. The gush still continuing and the fluid now flowing into the street, an alarm was raised and the fires brigade summoned. When the latter arrived, their chief declared that the liquid was naphtha, and there was wild excitement in the town. Many people-who read their paper fon Tuesday morning had forgotten that it was April J, hence the artiels caused plenty of talk before people grasped the joke, whilst the editorial offices were visited by, numerous inquirers, including the representatives of the leading Japanese and Chinese news agencies, who had prepared to telegraph the ly, but in the Russian section only, there appear-a paragraph about, the arrival of a representative of—professur Ligner of Berlin, the inventor of some famous pilis named "eternal youth." After expounding at some length the results attained in rope by the taking of these pills, the paper gave the name of the re: Presentative, stating that he was staying at the Moderne Hotel, and give away pills free of charge to the persons calling there between 9 and noon. This "surprise" also its mark, and from early morn ing the hotel personnel were kept busy with the telephone and wit alters of all ages and persuasiond wis ing to obtain a free sample of the remedy.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.