Bill Nye Advises Robbers in Health Resort Letter
In a humorous correspondence from Heiser Arkansas in 1887 Nye warns aspiring train robbers that health resorts are bad places to operate. He cites dangers from running trains and failed robberies, notes more people go “heeled,” and jokes that Congress offers safer gains than robbing trains before signing off as Bill Nye.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Heser
Ark
Pill Nye
Asheville
N. C
Coroxsi
M. R. Ware
Mr. White
Missouri
Great Co-Operative
Round Knob
War ends claim misled Arkansas traveler tale
An old Arkansas man with long hair shoots at a U S soldier, then discovers the war ended over twenty years ago. In court the prisoner confesses he believed the war was ongoing from newspaper read, saying his family and life now lie in Saline County as he contemplates returning home. The judge and crowd react with restraint as the man describes his long postwar absence and confusion.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
United States
Lee
Ead
Congress
Steinar
Saline County
Mr. Keever
Bangor
Dime Museum
Mandril
Sapajou
Honduras
Sahara
Domestic drama linked to a horse in Bowman's story
A St Louis man recounts a Grand Pacific night tale about Frank Bowman and a horse he once owned. Mrs Bowman’s coupe rides provoke the horse to spring forward to a quaint cottage, then veer again days later, prompting curiosity and a visit to the cottage to speak with a very pretty woman.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Frank Bowman
St Louis
Mrs Bowman Divorce Sparks Cottager Intrigue
Two women named Mrs Bowman share a cottage and a car ride in a courtside feud. The cottage resident is linked to a St Louis lawyer as a divorce unfolds the tangled social mix.
Parson Dow and the Cabin Trick in a Baltimore Tale
A Baltimore American tale recalls Parson Lorenzo Dow visiting a log cabin host who drinks. The parson uses a trick with a cotton barrel and a hidden boy to conjure a fire and illusion, prompting the husband to exclaim he is his meat and will not smile again.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Baltimore
Queen Victoria Habits and Health During Reign
A Herald of Health summary notes Queen Victoria's daily routine include breakfast before eight, daily walking or riding, and post luncheon reading and drawing. She values family ties and discusses state affairs with ministers before lunch. After Prince Consort's death her grief affected health, neuralgia, fatigue, sleeplessness, and ongoing medical care. Now near fifty years on throne she resumes public interest after years of retreat.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Victoria
They Were Kind to the Fish in Rainy Maine
Four ladies fishing on a rainy day in Maine venture a boat trip without a container for their catch. After catching pickerel they wrap each fish in their waterproof cloaks to keep the fish dry while the women stay soaked, turning the mishap into a quirky, humorous scene.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
San Francisco Chronicle
Maine
For Beginners in French in a Parisian sitcom style
A New York Star note presents a playful gag about language learning in Paris. Colonel Charles Garrison shares a vernacular anecdote involving Gustave the theatre chronicler and a comic exchange about an ugly baby joke. The scene shifts to a jeweller, a whispered engagement ring issue, and a collar button quip.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York
Charles Garrison
New Jersey
Paris
Bob
Gustave
Theatre Et
Vilain
Sabine Cross Roads Battle Chronicle April 8 1864
The narrative reports Union forces under Banks and Franklin pressed to Mansfield with Emory advancing. heavy combat ensues against General E Kirby Smith’s rebel army. The left and right wings suffer severe losses as Nims Battery fights valiantly and falls, and a chaotic retreat nearly unfolds before Imory’s veterans stabilize the line at Sabine Cross Roads.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
E. Kirby Smith
Mansfield
Banks
Pleasant Hill
Thirteenth Army Corps
Ransom
Franklin
Cameron
Imory
Nineteenth Army Corps
Lucas
Fourth Divion
Landrum
Twenty-third Wisconsin
Nims
Ohio
Kentucky
Olimis
Indiana
Wisconsin
Ohie
Ludley
Massachusetts
Eigath New Hampshire
Iniaptry
Nims’ Hattery
Chicago Mercantile Battery
Janks
Wilson
Brisin
Lee
Cowan
Emory
Thirteenth Army
Blucher
Waterloo
Wranklin
Stone
Brisbin
Snow
Mercantile
Rawle
United Tates
Missouri
Eld
Poe
General Barks
Thirteenth Corps
Pss
Sabine Cross Roads
Frank M. Fury
The Coming Generation in Puck
A fragment of dialogue among young girls and family members, centered on social ambition, French language accents, and family status. They discuss dances with various suitors, boxes at the opera, church seating in the middle aisle, and the aim to belong to high society, with parental guidance and language cues noted.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Longfellow
Isabel
Edith
Edrth
Marie
Mathilde
Mamma
May
Eleanor
Kate
Papa
Sister May
Harry Graham
Jack Smith
Jack
Madison Avenue
Arry
Harry
Ledith
Earth
Faith
Mainz
Ghel
Aunt Kate
Mrs Brown
Gracie Wilmot
Herbonne
Wilmote
Isavel
Idith
Stathilde
Sister
Turkish Women at Home in Brooklyn Magazine March
A Brooklyn Magazine article describes Turkish women hospitality with coffee and sweets, signals ending visits, and strict guest limits. It notes shared sleep in one room, ventilation gaps, modest harems, and contrasts Oriental tales with observed disorder and constant eating, smoking, or lounging.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Brooklyn
Preaching Pause Sparks Childish Wink During Sermon
A seven-year-old boy asks his minister father if he ever watches while preaching. The father recalls noticing him at times. The boy reveals he winked to prompt a quicker message, saying the sermon was spinning too long.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Apa
Downtime Silk Quest Turns Into Domestic Exchange
A brief domestic exchange shows a wife planning a morning trip downtown to find silk while the husband instructs the cook to save dinner for seventy and to put the children to bed. The dialogue conveys a light domestic rhythm and practical household coordination.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Rare Avis
FatWomen Show How to Weigh 600 Pounds for Market Show
A New York Times fragment from a dime museum scene features Mr. Keever from Bangor detailing a "treatment" to fatten women for entertainment. He describes a farm in Peace Hollow where subjects are kept, educated, and displayed, with tales of managers, loves, and mishaps, including a 650 pound woman and a skeleton lover.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mr. Keever
Big Ethel
Indiana
Ethel
Keever
Yasell
Bangor
Pennsylvania
Peace Hollow
Phoebe
St. Louis
Dawn
Ban
Phobe
Sway
Pares
Bavagor
Kalamazoo
Three Love Letters Found in an Old Dress Coat
In the Inside Pocket of a dress coat, three faded letters tied with a ribbon reveal a romance from 1837. The writer, Martha, and a partner named Troy recount longing, separations, and plans by the river and bridge as they await a future together. The narrator imagines the couple’s ages, circumstances, and what caused the parting, inviting readers to tell their own tale.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Charles
Portsmouth
N. H
noLony
Charle
Waterbury
Sol
Anarlie
Westchester County
Fairbanks
Henry James
Henry Janes
James
Connecticut
Alice
Memphis
Leun
Ohio
Christian Union
Troy
Jony
Jonn
Martha
Poker Philosophy from Judge on Card Pitfalls
A historical quip filled with maxims on risk and strategy in poker. It warns that science and art trump luck, notes the value of big pots, and cautions against tips from a gambler. It emphasizes honesty, vigilance, and learning from experience while warning about bluffing and deception at the table.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Ike
Ambler
Iago
Embarrassed Governor Falters During Town Speech
The Governor of a Western State, famed for bland public addressing, visits a distant town and greets locals with familiar lines. A shrill heckler shouts to name the old friends, leaving the Governor rattled and unable to regain composure for the rest of the evening.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Kansas City
The Green Baize and the Men Who Played It
A vivid memoir of 19th century gambling hubs in New York and Philadelphia. Joe Hall’s Walnut Street faro palace and Broadway rooms hosted figures like Morrissey Prentiss and Burnett, shaping social and political life through high stakes. The piece ties lavish rooms, famed players, and downfall in a sweeping portrait of the era.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York
Philadephia Times
Arkansas
Albert Pike
Washington
New Orleans
St. Nicholas Hotel
St Nicholas Hotel
Metropolitan Hotel
Joe Hall
Hail Bimse Iee
Luke of
Southwick
Lord Chesterfield
Pommry Lee
Zanzovine
Hall
Quebec
Burke
Sporting Men
Metropolis
Walnut Street
Philadelphia
Eleventh
Stevens
Buchanan
Roderer
Mr. Hall
Faro Bank
South
Niagara
Ward Burnett
Andrew Jackson
Tennessee
Broadway
General Burnett
John Morrissey
Morrissey
Twenty-fourth Street
Hoffman House
Ben Wood
Fernando Wood
Horace Greeley
Congress
Schuyler Colfax
Lovas
Bessemer Steel
Gus Schell
Tammany
State Senate of
New York State
Emer
geDero
Saratoga
Saratoga City
Tilden
Hendricks
Indiana
John I. Hoffman
Church
Pennsylvania
Baccarat
Saratoga Race Track
California
New Yorker
Sergeant 8.Prentiss
Prentiss
Mississippi
Foot
Independence Square
Prentixs
Aurora
Preniss
Vicksburg
Miss
Heton
Waters
Baltimore
Judge and conductor patrol car for tickets clash
The conductor moved through a train car collecting tickets when two elderly women talked nearby. One woman, during the moment, drew from her pocket what she believed to be her pasteboard and reacted to its contents.
Woman asks conductor about success after comb gift
A passenger hands a conductor a fine-toothed comb and asks if it was a successful morning. The conductor declines, saying he woke early, and she presses for a verdict on the day.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Ma’an
High School Girls Parade and Porcupine Love Tales
A collage of humorous verses and vignettes from the period notes. Readers encounter georgia wives, a jefferson street idyl, a mormon wife joke, and a Utah life sketch with poems about love and longing, all in a breezy, satirical newspaper voice.
How styles have changed since I was a girl
An elderly Louisville Post reader recalls fashion shifts from her youth. She notes dresses once worn high on the neck and gloves with a single button to today’s styles featuring gloves reaching the neck and only one button on dresses. Her memories reflect changing social norms.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Louisville Post
The Mind-Cure Girl: Eleanor Kirk in Pack
A wounded narrator seeks a mind cure from a pretty girl in Pack. He jokes about doctors and pills, yet she stares at the wall as he pleads for relief. He ends by asking for the mind-curing touch once more, in humorous verse.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Eleanor Kirk
George
Mephisto
Sin
Dialogue on contradiction and starting over in a vignette
A fragmentary exchange between characters named Dot and an unnamed narrator. They debate truth and contradiction, with the line Now that is contradicting followed by a request to begin again.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
iOmaha World
Omaha
Mamma
Also Mentioned on This Page
Bill Nye
William
Jesus
Plymouth
Old North
Zephyr
Rovber
Dorrick
Friend White
Nebraska
Lowervorth
Florida
Bini Nwe
Arkansan
R Arkansan Traveller
Chicago Herald
Philip H. Welch
Puck
Pat
New York Times
Jonathan Keever
N. B
Allen’s Junction
Jec
O. K
Julia P. Boynton
Williamsport Grit
Georgia
Jefferson Street
Burlington
Anna Katharine Green
Risifi
Utah
Mormon
Miss Brigham
Journal of Education
Ineline
New Haven News
Arthur Arthur
Sadie
LL. D. Olensen
Dunce
Harry Parker
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