Averted a Smash Up by Sleepy Rail Crew Pranks
New York Sun recounts an old timer William Jates tale from Kane Pennsylvania where a tired railroad operator nearly caused a collision. The story details long shifts, a lunchroom encounter, a jokey telegram prank, and how a late night nap avoided disaster and led to a new posting in Titusville.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
William Jates
Pennsylvania
Pitcairn
Philadelphia and Erie
Kane
Dr. Kane
Wilcox
Wetmore
Fifth Avenue
Flynn
Titusville
New York Sun
Gilbert and Burnand Exchange Jests on Punch Notices
The anecdote recalls W S Gilbert asking editor Burnand about funny stories sent to Punch. Burnand replies that thousands arrive, prompting Gilbert to quip about why they are not published.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Gilbert
Punch
Burnand
Mr. Burnand
Mr. Gil
Goodby
Riddles: Glowworm Fire and Lantern in Chicago News
A glowworm’s fire has no smoke and well water has no fish. The riddle asks for an object with two mouths that travels by night and not by day. The answer given is a lantern.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chicago News
Sleepy Judge Dines, Laughs, and Sleeps Through Conversation
A Chicago judge visits Hyde Park for a casual dinner hosted by a recently married woman. After a lively chat, he dozes in a large leather chair for nearly an hour, prompting his wife to retire upstairs in irritation. She later taunts her husband about her talk causing sleep.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chicago
Hyde Park
Chicago News
Armies and Armament Through History and Humor
A compact survey traces artillery becoming part of the army under Charles XII and notes the gun’s impact at Pavia. It surveys ancient cavalry types of Alexander the Great and the Greek phalanx, detailing unit structures and battlefield tactics. A London humorist piece about misuse of Latin initialisms ends with a wry church anecdote.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Charles XII
Sweden
Pavia
Alexander
Alexander the Great
Pearson’s Weekly
Not the Conventional Woman
A bank cashier is confronted by a stylish woman who pretends to be unknown. She playfully asserts the cashier knows her as the neighborly “redheaded old virago” and recalls domestic quirks, ending with the cashier reluctantly handing over the money.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Buty
Virago
Henry
Chicago Tribune
What the Tots Said by Chicago News
A Chicago News collection of child sayings. Bobby longs for his kilts over trousers saying he feels lonesome in pants. A mother leaves her 4 year old at home and the boy says he felt like a widower without her.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chicago News
Bobby
Diplomacy Wins Ardent Suitor Dialogue Revealed
A brief comic exchange shows a suitor offering fortune to a noblewoman, the lady retorting about money and small means while the suitor asserts effort suffices to win affection. The exchange appears in the London Telegraph.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London Telegraph
Sunset over Fireworks Show Draws Attention Away
The average man will pay 50 cents to see a fireworks display while he neglects the sunset he can view for free each night, notes the Louisville Journal.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Louisville Journal
Ancient Chinese Device Mirrors Telephone Concept
A historical note describes a device akin to the telephone used in China about a thousand years ago. It suggests early ideas for long distance communication through linked speaking tubes and interceptable signals, illustrating long standing ingenuity in information transfer.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
China
Stay-at-Home Votes Cited as Election Day Danger
Chairman Weaver warns that stay-at-home voting poses risks in this election with Republican apathy blamed for low turnout. He cites 1898 versus 1896 gains, district shifts, and a reduced stay-at-home vote in the Second district. The piece also recounts the Astor family link to the Bull's Head tavern and the Bowery theater in early New York history.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Weaver
Chatham Square
Bowery
Bowery Theater
Washington
Bull's Head
Henry Astor
John Jacob Astor
Bull’s Head
Richard Varian
Varian
Astor
Maiden Lane
Bowery Lane
Home Journal
Haydn Settles Singers Time by Beauty and Favor
A court singer and the conductor argued over timing in a Haydn piece. Haydn asked if the singer was handsome and favored by the prince. He ruled she was right, tying musical time to the performer's appearance and favor.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Haydn
Nosebleed Home Stopper Using Blotting Paper
A simple home method to stop nosebleeds suggests cutting blotting paper into an inch square, rolling to pencil size, inserting it into the bleeding nostril to block flow, allowing breathing through the hollow and aiding clotting.
Knicker You Say Your Son Is a Con Tractor
Becker quips that a con tract or is debt focused stating a man who slips on a banana peel doubts the fruit’s sustaining power. St. Louis Star notes wordplay on contractor and debts with a humorous jab.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Becker
St. Louis Star
English Longbow Superior In Battle Say Historians
English archers used the longbow in battle while French archers relied on the crossbow, with many historians noting the longbow’s greater effectiveness and range.
The Staff of Life Bread Decline as Diet Item
A New York doctor predicts bread will be abolished as a common food within years. He notes many patients abandon bread on physicians advice for dyspepsia gout rheumatism and related ailments. He cites substitutes and rising hygienic foods as evidence of a shift in public attitude toward bread.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York
New York Sun
Royalty Scions Held in Military Posts Early
The piece notes numerous European royal offspring hold military commissions as minors, illustrating early armed service often before reaching adulthood.
King of Naples Ponders Prisoners in Humorous Tale
A king visits Neapolitan prisons and learns inmates claim innocence. He encounters three inmates with sentences of fifteen, thirty, and life, the last boasting broad crimes. The king learns only one truly bad man remains, inmate No. 912, and warns the governor to release him to spare others.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Naples
Impersonating an Officer Case Ends in Discharge
A Chicago Tribune excerpt shows a courtroom exchange where the judge or speaker asks if the man impersonating an officer tried to make others think he was a policeman. The accused is found not guilty and discharged.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chicago Tribune
Rise of Ballard Smith in Journalism Career
The Louisville Courier Journal recalls Ballard Smith’s ascent after Dartmouth. He entered the office with condescension, wore a silk tie and velvet jacket, sought dramatic editor, but started on local staff and became city editor within six months. His later rise was rapid.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Ballard Smith
Louisville Courier-Journal
Dartmouth College
Train schedule fragment shows mixed east west and north south times
A partial timetable lists trains with arrival and departure times for routes including Chicago Express Atlantic Express Overland Limited Pacific Express Colorado Special and Des Moines connections. It notes daily services Ames to Marshalltown and Des Moines routes with occasional Sunday exceptions.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chicago Express
Atlantic Express
Icago
Ames
Marshalltown
Overland Limited
Pacific Express
Carroll Express
Dakota Express
Dakota
Des M
Ae Cee Ee Jon
Daan
Chi
Des M. Pasa
Also Mentioned on This Page
Father Staunton
Church of St. Alban, Holborn
D. Vy
THE
Staff OF Life
Spring & Son
Nota
M. Jay Adams & CO
Iowa
J.B. Judge
Iowa Central
R’y Co
St. Paul Mail
St. Paul Express
St. Louis and
Peoria i
Peoria
Little Bros
Real Estae and Insurance
Minnesota
South Dakota
Boswotnu
W.H. Wynn, Jo
Owa
Gibo
A. Underwood
TOWA
Palace Livery
G. W. Nichols
South Ames
H Wrsterman
F. T. McLain
Westerman & M'Lain
Eee Leos
Chicago & North Western
Railway
Boone and Carroll
Arui
G. W. Rocers
Des Moines Daily News
Telegraph
the News
Des Moines
Lowa
Saniel McCarthy
G. Lee
McCarthy & Lee
Cefestinas
Paige
College Ee
Stven
Bick
Bower & Longsdorf
Main Street
Amss
Illinois Central
Homeseeker’s
Homeseeker
Illinois Central and
Yazoo
Mississippi Valley
Tara
Lyle Cedar Rapids
Onawa
Sioux Falls
Fort Dodge
Southern Homeseeker
Ohio River
Yazoo Valley
Mississippi
E. P. Skene
I. OC. R’y
Cedar Falls
Lyle and
Cedar Rapids
Illinois Central Railroad
Ackley
LeMars
Wnh
Central
Ray
Ill
Cent. R. R
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