Battle of the Susanna and the Galveston Blockade Hero
Savannah story recounts Captain Charles W. Austin describing the 1865 mission aboard the iron vessel Susanna to breach the Galveston blockade with arms and munitions for the Confederacy. The escape under heavy fire, eventual capture by the Metacomet, and the ship’s later fate are detailed, along with a note on Liszt’s Paris charity.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Savannah News
Stober
Galveston Harbor
Barles W. Austin
Evana
Susana
Scotland
Clyde
Havana
Alveston
Pelican Point
Cuba
Metacomet
Sewett
Philadelphia
Susanna
United States
South Atlantic
Gulf
West India
Nickerwaling
Boston
Savannah
City of Columbus
Ate City
Marine Intelligence
Seminole
Hoboken
Professor Orse
Trouble in His Watch in Greeley Timepiece Tale
A Colorado anecdote recounts a man’s failed repair attempts across three watchmakers in Greeley. First cleaned for $2, then $3 to remove cooked oil and adjust timing, with the watch running fast and then slowing. Third craftsman, slow yet skilled, fix remains unclear as the observer watches him work.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Bill Nye
Greeley
Asiee
Liszt Portrayed as Aristocratic yet Compassionate Figure
The text describes Liszt as the darling of the aristocracy, at ease with German and French nobility from youth, a reformer at heart, and deeply moved by the miser of the venio ne, always noted for his generous spirit.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Lonetean’s Magazine
Germany
France
Liszt
England's play reader and the Lords Chamberlain’s control
London letter surveys the Lord Chamberlain's rigid control over theatre licensing. It notes the single guinea per act fee, opaque cuts, and no appeal, with anecdotes about a Canadian melodrama blocked for Irish and political content. The piece highlights censorship extending to stage tableaux andBeaconsfield references.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Lord Chamberlain
London
Mr. Pigot
St. James’ Palace
Westminster
Folm
Home Secretary
Beaconield
Victoris
Drury Lane
William the Conqueror
William
Lord Beaconsfield
Proper Way to Ask a Party of Gentlemen to Smile
Dr Bak Jewish physician from Forsyth street is accosted by Max Kutz and two others on Whitehall street. A quarrel nearly starts over the proper English invitation to share a drink. Bak, attempting to settle the dispute, suggests a cordial toast. The plan backfires as the quartet proceeds to Kenney's, where Bak pays for the champagne.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Atlanta Constitution
Dr. Bak
Forsyth Street
Whitehall Street
Mr. Rosenfeld
Max Kutz
Rosenfeld
Mr. Kutz
Kutz
Bak
Mr. Katz
Kenney’s
Country butter on Woodward avenue creates debate
A grocer praises old fashioned creamery butter as a customer tastes it and asks for more. The grocer says June clover fed butter is scarce this time of year and recalls a factory near by. The scene ends with satisfied patrons and a quiet reflection on supply.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Woodward Avenue
Optical illusion shows misperceived letter halves when inverted
A Troy Times note describes a visual trick with capital letters and digits. By turning the page, the upper halves appear smaller, exaggerating size differences and revealing the eye’s tendency to focus on the upper portion of objects.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Troy Times
Editor Wins LibelVerdicts Despite Low Damages
A Kansas editor of the Globe-Democrat has secured verdicts in three libel suits. Damages awarded were $5, $150, and 50 cents, totaling 7. The defendant defamers have filed motions to set aside the verdicts as exorbitant and unreasonable, risking collection.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Condh
Globe-Democrat
Kansas
Alexander Selkirk and the True Tale Behind Robinson Crusoe
A San Francisco Chronicle piece recounts Alexander Selkirk's real captivity on Juan Fernandez with the Cinque Ports and later with Rogers. It notes Selkirk's solitary life, his goats, huts, and survival feats, then details Defoe's embellishments and alleged greed, culminating in Defoe's rise and Selkirk's later vindication.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
San Francisco Chronicle
Robinson Crusoe
South Seas
Die Cinque Ports
Pickering
Alexander Selkirk
Largo
Fife
Brazil
Cinque Ports
Stradling
Cape Horn
Juan Fernandez
Kinsale
Selkirk
Rogers
Leutenant
Courtney
Thomas Dover
Dover
Brazils
Duke
Island
Monte Cristo tale at Ile d'If in Toledo Blade
The Toledo Blade tours Ile d If detailing Monte Cristo lore. It recounts Dantes escape from the prison, the abbe’s secret, and the island’s grim cells. Visitors see recreated dungeons, relics, and engravings while vendors sell photos and souvenirs as the site profits from the romance.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
iNanby
Toledo Blade
Ile d’If
Dumas
Monte Cristo
Edmond Dantes
Marseilles
Mercedes
Napoleon
Elba
Dantes
Isle of Monte Cristo
Naples
Abbe
France
Evea
Republic
Mirabeau
Poland
Dumh
Catawissa Railway Flight Through Valley and Bridges
Burdette describes a scenic train journey along the Catawissa line from Quakake junction to Danville, noting soaring views and grand railroad engineering. He highlights bridges at Ringtown Long Hollow Fishers Mine Gap Mainville and a final ascent into Danville, praising the mountain scenery and airiness of the ride.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
R. J. Burdette
Quakake Junction
McAuley’s
Ringtown
Catawissa
Catawissa Mountain
Stranger Hollow
Long Hollow Bridge
Fishers Bridge
Mine Gap
Mainville Bridge
Calawissa
Danville
Montour
Pennsylvania
Pussy's Mark in Roman London Footprint Found at Dowgate Hill
A fragment of Roman London beneath modern streets reveals a thirteen by thirteen inch brick rubble wall layer with a cat's paw imprint pressed in soft clay. The imprint remains strikingly fresh after centuries, likened to fossil footprints and other ancient traces described by geologists and historians.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Harper's Weekly
Dowgate Hill
London
Rome
City
Jerusalem
Holy Places
Troy
Homer
Hizark
Charlesworth
Lyell
Canada
Dawson
Mars
Circle of Death on the Plains Buffalo vs Wolves
A wild drama plays out on the prairie as a lone buffalo bull defends himself against a surrounding pack of wolves. The monarch stands firm, bites and gored, then dies after a brutal, close circle of attackers.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Quad
Behind the Pillars at the Rochester Court House
Cold weather and quiet darkness set the scene as two men stake positions between the eastern and western pillars of the Rochester Court House porch awaiting an absent companion. One mutters of relief and anticipation while the other chews and comments on the delay as a city hackman finally inquires about the waiting men.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Rochester
Caesar
Jim
Iain
Tiankay
Jimiy Checkey
Alrs
Court House Square
Luxurious Sleep On Show In Paris Bedstead For East Indian Prince
A Paris display features a princely bedstead crafted partly of silver. At each corner stands a life size female figure holding a deil. The extravagant piece showcases opulent design and ceremonial flair, drawing attention to its costly materials and imperial styling.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York
Paris
The Talking Bed With Silver Maidens In Sleep
A curious late nineteenth century device features a bed for a great potentate with a wench of a cately-constructed fan, a wig of real hair, weekly court barber dressing, and silver Maiden figures fanning the sleeper. A cluck-like apparatus moves foot figures, a spring can play soft music, and a large music box resides in the bed base.
Sembrich’s Chicago Triumph Draws Ecstatic Ovation
Critics describe Mme Sembrich as the most comfortable looking prima donna in Chicago with a dramatic Lucheer scene. Her vocal display, a whirlwind of operatic terms, ignites a stunned audience that bursts into universal praise with multilingual shouts of Bravo and Bravissimo.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Sembrich
Chicago
Chicago News
Mme. Sembrich
Lucheer
Louis XIV
Familly Cirele
Nightly Hugging Chase at Westbound Train Aboard the Steamboat Express
Night Baggageman Fitzpatrick witnesses a mistaken embrace when a medium aged woman and two companions rush to greet a man off the west bound express at 2 55 am. A second man appears and is mistaken for the husband. The first man bolts, leaving luggage behind while the second pursues the stranger. The missing gripsack and valise remain with Fitzpatrick as police are notified.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London Advertiser
Fitzpatrick
Grand Trunk Railway
West Bound
Ryan
Coasting Carnival in Bangor’s Night Ride
Bangor Commercial describes a bold double runner camel sled ride through Bangor streets at night. Passengers include a pusher and a steerer as lamp posts, crowds, and police watchers stand by. The crowd imagines hazards, braces for impact, and ends with relieved, breathless laughter at the close.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Bangor
Bunco
Ohio Street
Wood's Corner
Jim
Court Street
Columbia Street
Manu
A Dissolving View of Mr Clough in Boston Letter
A Cambridge lady recalls Matthew Arnold praising Arthur Hugh Clough and a mispronunciation at a Boston gathering. The guest corrects the hostess by declaring The name is Clough and exits with humor, leaving guests amused as he retreats to the coat room.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mr. Clough
Boston
Philadelphia
Cambridge
Matthew Arnold
Arthur Hugh Clough
Mr. Clow
Clough
Cluff
One Evening Courtship Tale From Chester Advertiser
A fragment from the Chester Advertiser recalls a humorous rural scene where a narrator probes Hetty about marriage. The exchange hinges on who would propose and ends with an apparent, but uncertain, whispered affirmative amid confusion and laughter.
Bric A Brac and Measured Moments
A fragmented verse fragment titled Bric A Brac and Measured Moments contemplates rain on glass and a shared pause before a jolting memory. It follows reflections on first barber shop shaving and the tender image of newborn feet nearing life’s border.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chicago News
You Kissed Me Poem Suspects General Sherman
A poem by Ella Wheeler titled You Kissed Me is noted as not addressed to a specific person but raises a suspicion regarding General Sherman. The fragment hints at a personal or political undertone without detailing events or sources.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Philadelphia
Ella Wheeler
General Sherman
A Sorg of Love and Burdens of Beauty in Verse
A mixed verse collage from Sidney Lanier and others includes lines about love and longing, a quip on brain weight and female taste, plus Scottish imagery and a note on a Montana statesman surnamed Maginnis. The pieces vary from lyric fragments to humorous asides and a brief political remark.
Meadville bookshop tale hints at wind and fate
In the Marathon Independent a Meadville bookseller asks a customer for poetry or novels. The customer declines poets and asks for new novels, prompting a quoted verse about wind, air, and life, ending with imagery of escape and decay. The fragment hints at a literary exchange and a dramatic poem excerpt.
Boy and larger student share a spray of speech
A brief, humorous exchange unfolds as a boy asks for a bite from a larger peer’s apple. The larger boy refuses, then jokes there will be no core, ending the vignette with a playful, exaggerated tone.
Leap Year Romance at the Breakfast Table
A Williamsport youth teases a lady friend about leap year and she nominates a play for tomorrow night. The piece reflects on light over darkness, dawn’s radiance, rose fragrance, lark songs, and finding good in humanity despite life’s pain, concluding that love fuels hope and moral betterment.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Williamsport
George
Wasp recounts a witty remark in San Francisco chatter
A San Francisco scene features a British colony member recounting a casual, sharp exchange with an American. The speaker describes a brief argument ending with a clever comeback, illustrating the era's brisk social banter and cross cultural jabs.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Wasp
San Francisco
Victor Hugo Responds With Mixed Language Verse
A fragmentary anecdote reports Victor Hugo replying to a request for English poetry by stating certainty and then producing a playful mix of French lines and an English blessing. The garbled text blends chagrin, a note of gin, and a nod to the queen.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Victor Hugo
the Queen
Eisteddfod Crowd Makes Hall Roof Collapse in New York
On Christmas day in Chickering Hall New York an Eisteddfod featured readings of Englynon and Awdl and Cwydd y Farn Fawr followed by a crowd singing Hen wald fy phadhan. The hall roof then collapsed.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
iChicago Herald
Summer rose and a doomed rival bride
A fragment blends a romantic lyric about a secret love and a rival’s claimed bride with a comic wartime drill scene. An English regiment drill instructor stages a funeral exercise, guiding recruits through a pretend cortege. He then mocks their lack of remorse.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Philadelphia
Also Mentioned on This Page
Ron
Galveston
City of
Columbus
Repo
Colorado
Franz Liezt
England
Detroit
Ssssss
Adventures
Defoe
Chili
Hit
Puerto Seguro
Dutch East Indies
Tellow Sgine
Fis
Losier
Daniel Foe
Friday
Stoke Newington
Greenwic
Ile Selkirk
Greenwich
Moorfields
THE
Circle OF Death
Lai
Chester Advertiser
Hetty
Ned Willis
Sezi
E. A. Denig
Sorg of
Sidney Lanier
Rose
iNew York Mercury
Heather
Bismark"Tribune
Montana
Maginnis M. Maginnis
Maginnis
Bilbo
Meadville Booke
Longwell
Whittaker
Fanny Kemble
Scott
Ulster
This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!