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 786 KEMPELEN KEMPIS Times," 4 vols., 1861-'2). Ho is also the au- thor of several political pamphlets and bio- graphical sketches. K.E51PELEN, Wolfgang, baron, a Hungarian mechanician, born in Presburg, Jan. 23, 1734, died in Vienna, March 26, 1804. He entered at first upon an administrative career, and be- came aulic councillor. He was an excellent chess player, and was frequently invited to play with Maria Theresa, who was a passion- ate lover of the game. Having a great me- chanical genius, ho in 1769 astonished Europe with his automaton chess player. Taken to Paris in 1784, and afterward exhibited by Mr. Malzel in England and the United States, the. chess player caused an extraordinary excite- ment, and the problem was not explained for many years. (See AUTOMATON.) Kempelen also invented an automatic speaking human fig- ure, which pronounced very distinctly several words ; a curiosity several times successfully imitated, and of which the maker published an explanation in Le mecanisme de la parole, sui- m de la description d'une machine parlante, et enrichi de 27 planches (1791). He wrote several German poems, Perseus und Andro- meda, a drama, and Der unbeTcannte Wohltha- ter, a comedy. He was also councillor of finance to the emperor of Austria, director of the salt mines of Hungary, and referendary of the Hungarian chancery at Vienna. Full de- tails of the mystery of the automaton chsss player, with its later history, are given in an article by Prof. G. Allen of Philadelphia in " The Book of the First American Chess Con- gress" (New York, 1859). KEMI'KK, an E. county of Mississippi, bor- dering on Alabama, and drained by affluents of the Tombigbee and other streams; area, 750 sq. m.; pop. in 1870, 12,920, of whom 7,214 were colored. The soil is mostly fertile. The Mobile and Ohio railroad and its Gaines- ville branch pass through it. The chief pro- ductions in 1870 were 218,350 bushels of In- dian corn, 36,995 of sweet potatoes, 64,010 Ibs. of butter, and 4,964 bales of cotton. There were 1,140 horses, 902 mules and asses, 2,118 milch cows, 4,475 other cattle, 3,174 sheep, and 10,316 swine. Capital, De Kalb. KEMPER, Reuben, an American soldier, born in Fauquier co., Va., died in Natchez, Miss., in 1826. He was the son of a Baptist preacher, who emigrated with his family to Ohio in 1800. Reuben subsequently removed with two of his brothers to the territory of Mississippi, where they engaged in land surveying. They were the leaders in the movement to rid West Flori- da of its Spanish rule, and got up an expedi- tion to Baton Rouge in 1808 from the adjacent counties of Mississippi, which failed. The Spanish authorities caused the Kempers to be kidnapped, but they were rescued by the com- mander of the American fort at Pointe Coup6e. The Kempers pursued with great ferocity all who were engaged in this wrong upon them, inflicting severe personal chastisement and mu- tilation upon the parties. After these occur- rences Reuben Kemper devoted himself to the task of driving the Spaniards from the Ameri- can continent. He was engaged in an attempt to capture Mobile, which failed ; and on the fitting out of the formidable expedition of Gu- tierrez and Toledo, in 1812, against the Span- ish authority in Mexico, he was assigned the rank of major, and afterward chosen colonel of the force, 500 or 600 in number, which co- operated with the Mexican insurgents. The expedition advanced into Texas, fought several battles, in which Kemper and his Americans performed feats of valor, and won brilliant victories. Dissensions followed between the Mexicans and Americans, and the Spaniards taking advantage of them put the republicans to rout. The Americans, disgusted with their allies, then returned home. Kemper was en- gaged under Jackson in the defence of New Orleans, was detached for important and peril- ous duty, and added greatly to his reputation by his activity and efficiency. At the conclu- sion of the war he settled in Mississippi. KEMPIS, Thomas a, a German ascetic writer, born at Kempen, near Cologne, in 1379 or 1380, died at Mount St. Agnes, near Zwolle, July 26, 1471. His family name was Hammerken, "Little Hammer" (Lat. Malleolus, a surname bestowed on him by several writers). At the age of 13 he entered the school conducted at Deventer by the "Brothers of the Common Life," and in 1396 became an inmate of the house of Brother Florentius Radewin, superior general of the order. In 1400 he began his nov- iceship at the monastery of Mount St. Agnes, near Zwolle, of which his brother John was prior, and in 1413 was ordained priest. It is thought that he composed about this time the short treatise on the eucharist which now forms the fourth book of the " Imitation of Christ." In 1425 he was elected sub-prior of the monastery, and was charged with the spir- itual direction of the novices. In 1429 he and his brethren were forced to migrate to Lune- kerke, in Friesland ; but they returned to Mount St. Agnes in 1432, when Thomas became trea- surer of the monastery. In 1448 he was again elected sub-prior, and held this post till his death. Like all his brethren, Thomas devoted himself in a special manner to the study of the Scriptures and the transcription of Biblical manuscripts. Besides his most famous work, Delmitatione Cfiristi, and several ascetic trea- tises, he wrote the chronicle of the monastery of Mount St. Agnes down to 1471. The continu- ator of this chronicle says of him : " Brother Thomas a Kempis endured great poverty, la- bors, and trials from the foundation of this monastery. He transcribed the whole of our Bible, with many other books for our own use and for strangers. He also wrote for the bene- fit of young people several little treatises, in a plain and simple style, but rich in practical wisdom. During several years he applied him- self lovingly to the contemplation of Christ's