Ambush of a Gunboat on the James in Civil War Tale
In 1862 near Drury's Bluff on the James River, a Confederate detachment tries an ambush on a Union gunboat at Allen plantation. The plan backfires as the boat battens down and fires canister, killing and wounding ten. the column returns with livestock and forage.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Murray
Washington Republican
Battle of Seven Pines
Fair Oaks
James River
Drury’s Bluff
Fort Darling
General Butler
Fortress Monroe
the James
Richmond
Petersburg
Mr. Allen
Drury
Allen
Eayar A. Poe
Charles City Road
Avenue of
Live Oaks
Mansion House
Allenge
Malpmast
Jackass
Richmont
Chincoteague Pony Chase Swiftly Across Island Dunes
The narrator pursues a wild lead pony across Chincoteague Island in a vivid ride that blends adventure with a hunter’s thrill. A six-horse sortie ends when the swift leader escapes, leaving the author to rethink capture plans for another day.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chicoteague
New York Times
Walpus
Chincoteague
Gray Assateague
Indian Territory
Tre
Assateauue
Noice
Day's ill fated plan to educate a wife in Rousseau's way
The piece recounts Day’s failed attempt to train two girls from Shrewsbury and London Foundling, Sabrina Sidney and Lucretia, into his wife. It details their quarrels, illnesses, spying, and Day's eventual marriage in 1778 to Esther Milnes, a wealthy benefactor.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Day
Shrewsbury
Kis Sabrina Sidney
Severn
Algernon Sidney
Foundling Hospital
London
Lucretia
France
Todd
Sabrina
Icknell
Honora Sneyd
Major Andre
Elizabeth
Richard Lovell Edgeworth
Rousseau
Esther Milnes
Re'ter Skating Flirtation in Norristown Herald
A quirky historical item notes skating flirtations with odd gestures and responses. It highlights humorous poses such as lying on the right side and other contortions paired with witty phrases, painting a playful slice of local humor.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Norristown Herald
Wiman's Baths signs spark humorous misreading
Kakography from the New York Graphic notes Erastus Wiman, Canadian financier, gifting two public bath-houses to Toronto. During a British Association excursion, a scientist mocked signs reading Wiman's Baths by misreading "women's" as a prank, highlighting American spelling quirks.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York Graphic
Erastus Wiman
Staven Island
Toronto
Wiman
British Association
Gas lamp from a dead fish lights curious tales of candle fish
Philadelphia Times recounts a British Columbia journey reporting candle fish or eel lamp oil used for light and warmth by indigenous peoples. The writer describes fishing with a comblike gear to harvest eulachon, processing and drying methods, and the oil’s medicinal and lighting roles. A separate African tale notes electric catfish used as a soothing remedy for babies and as a shock treatment, showing cross cultural uses of fish in traditional medicine.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Philadelphia Times
Times
British Columbia
Columbia River
Africa
Malabar
Sarapterus Electricus
A Day of Dining and Outing in New York 1884
A diaristic itinerary details a New York morning to midnight of dining and socializing at hotels, restaurants, and the casino. The writer notes breakfasts, lunches, cocktails, and wines, with a running commentary on sparrows, a vegetarian acquaintance, and a dinner for two with Miss Starrybelle who visits.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
John
Coney Island
Madison Square
New York City
George Francis Traip
George Francis
Central Park
Miss Starrybelle
Indian Man Swims Missouri With One Arm For Bride
In Bismarck a young Indian named Tsi ting cheung swam the Missouri with his left arm bound, amid tribe watchers and a grieving bride candidate. He reached the bank, then disappeared and surfaced downstream before completing the crossing. The feat ends in a promised wedding next Tuesday.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Bismarck
D. T
Tsi-ting-cheung
Missouri
The Exclusive Briton and the Yankee Anecdote
An elderly American traveler aboard a Liverpool to London train breaks the ice after an hour of silence. He introduces himself, explains his age and sight issues, and offers his card to two Englishmen. The gesture leads to a warm, lasting friendship among the three.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London Echo
Liverpool
London
L— D
Imbibing Their Elders on Davenport Street
In Detroit Times a couple of young lovers walk Davenport Street after a quarrel. The girl, stern and quiet, the boy, tearful and fading, passersby watch with amusement as he sheds tears and crosses the road. The scene ends with a gentle onlooker and the girl crying softly.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Detroit
Davenport Street
Artie
Two Lovers United by the Feet at Altoona Parlor
A sensational incident in Altoona ends with a boy killed by a strangling knot while a sister and her young man reportedly sit close in a parlor. An elderly man enters, thinks Adolyphius is drunk and strikes him with a cane, causing a fall through a window during a chaotic scene.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Altoona
Mary
Adolyphius
Life in a Mining Camp Reveals Yankee Girl Treasures
Rep MOUNTAIN Town, Col., Sept. 15 reports a mining camp visit with a concert in a rough room above a livery stable. The Yankee Girl mine near Silverton yields rich galena ore. miners show samples, describe tunnels, ore sorting, and a $800,000 net profit since 1882 while other mines like National Belle attract attention for talc and crystal formations.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Rep Mountain Town
Col
Mountain Pines
Windsor
New York Harbor
Sycamore Tree
Colorado
Yankee Girl
Messrs. Posey
Crawford
Silverton
Pittsburg
Hammond
Hammond and McKay of Pittsburg
Standard Oil
National Belle
Waving the Weed by Bill Nye Confesses Tobacco Quitting
The essay reveals Bill Nye’s repeated attempts to quit smoking and live anew. He chronicles diary entries from January 1884 describing cravings, health changes, and humorous misadventures as he toils to break the habit, including a playful plan to sell a diary as a substitute.
Bustle Fashion Woes and the Chicagoite Look
Clara Belle laments the bustle as an annoying fashion craze causing constant readjustment. She notes its lopsided drapery and awkward rear structure, which worsens when seated, leaving the wearer uneasy and the silhouette distorted.
Proof-Room Dialog Echoes Hamlet in Proof Stage
A mock manuscript reads like an editor’s proof room with lingering riffs on Hamlet. The speaker remarks on brevier type and editorial notes while quoting the famous soliloquy with playful variations and misprints.
Humble Tar Refuses Regard From Lord High Admiral
Pall Mall Gazette recounts an incident in Portsmouth where William LV, then high admiral, encountered a drunken tar embracing a lamp-post. The sailor, unconcerned, replies that he does not know him and keeps drinking, prompting the admiral to boast of his rank.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Pall Mall Gazette
William LV
Portsmouth
Chicago Herald
Burdette
Brooklyn Eagle
Arkansas Literary Society
Pompeyeye Pompayee
Boston
Rock
Indian Summer in a Fragmented Nation
Mixed quotes and light verse from multiple papers capture autumn imagery and humorous notes. References span Indian summer reflections from the Christian Intelligencer and New York Journal, plus pieces from the Burlington Hawkeye and Rehoboth Sunday Herald, with playful lines about demagogues and a street scene of bricks and tumult.
Impudent jest and a pirate’s laugh in a Philadelphia tale
A humorous fragment from the Philadelphia Record tells of a boastful visitor and a wary host, then shifts to verses about romantic ideals and a wife who gently jokes that she is not her husband’s first love. The items showcase light humor and sentimental verse.
Soothing Balm for Every Pain in a Grand Woman
Poem reflects on a woman's life as she finds purpose in comforting the poor and wounded. It argues true living lies in daily acts of kindness and spiritual connection, even amid personal sorrow and hardship.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Cluskey Cromwell
Republic
After loving comes regret in shadowed verses
Fragmented verse about love and life turning to regret. It warns to beware of fleeting joys and the chill of mortality. The lines shift through stages of life from youth to old age, hinting at the inevitability of death and the fragility of human warmth against eternal night.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Philospher
Also Mentioned on This Page
Bow
Tower Garden
Virginia
Garland
Lynchburg
North
Ithuriel
Ajlen
Eulachant
Eulachon
Rer
Diary OF A Ggurmand
New York World
Nye
Bill Nye
Detroit Free Press
Clara Belle
Cincinnati Enquirer
Todoy
Hamley
Keokuk
Christian Intelligencer
New York Journal
Burlington
Rehoboth Sunday Herald
Louis XV
Madame de Vergennes
Holland
Papa
Philadelphia
LN. Buell
Circus
Atlanta Constitution
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