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This newspaper page contains 24 articles. Subscribers can read the full text of each article.
Newspaper
Bristol Phoenix
Location
Bristol, Rhode Island, United States of America
Date
Jan 15, 1909
Page
4
The article describes Pacific islanders using sharks teeth to edge wooden knives and swords. Sharks teeth form serrated, keen blades arranged in rows that replace broken teeth, creating durable cutting edges. Kingmill islanders craft many artifacts from sharks teeth, necessitating careful handling of the weapons.
Byron's memorandum calls Cardinal Mezzofanti a monster of learning and a walking polyglot. He claims Mezzofanti could interpret languages almost universally, astonishing even Byron when tested across many tongues and oaths.
A discussion on inherited instinct versus intelligence cites W L Finley who observed a gull pick up a clam rise fifteen feet and drop it repeatedly until the shell opened. The gull then ate the contents, illustrating possible problem solving in lower animals.
At a wedding breakfast the bachelors were pressed for reasons for remaining single. They offered quirky lines including a frog in a well analogy, claims of selfish honesty, and contrasts between liberty and comforts versus routine, with one noting a twin brother who is married.
A man in a Tenderloin drug store, described as from out of town, asked if payment was made before or after using a telephone. The clerk explained to call the number and insert a dime after. The visitor appeared wary, asked to inspect the slot, and declined, saying he was not seeking savings.
Mrs Oldcastle condemns the curate as a potential valetudinarian while a hostess disputes the claim. A bystander jokes about seeing him eat beefsteak at a parish dinner, per a Chicago Record-Herald item.
A brief Punch-like scene shows a father asking if his son cried after a fall. The boy replies with a single word mirroring his father’s likely exclamation, illustrating stubborn stoicism in a domestic moment.
Mr Howe asks Wise about authorities on social and economic questions. Wise replies not quite all, noting his daughter’s graduation essay is not out yet. The remark hints at scholarly debate and a personal milestone within a domestic setting.
A quirky line ponders Footlight’s fortune, claiming he is both the richest and poorest actor on stage. The remark highlights a paradox in status and wealth within the drama scene.
A ancedote on urban department store rivalry and rural neglect. A New York firm head visits New England and asks for a staple cloth in a general store, only to hear it’s never kept because demand vanishes as soon as stocked. The piece suggests country stores fail to compete with city retailers in attracting trade during downturns.
A finicky customer questions a fish market sign reading Anjo vis one owner insists on calling fish by his own terms. The dispute ends when the customer buys a dime’s worth of smoked herring, a name not in dispute.
W G Fitz-Gerald describes in Success Magazine how a twelve foot African tusker, with sail-like ears and a blood curdling scream, can induce terror that even a seasoned hunter cannot overcome. He recalls a jungle stand with herd presence and overwhelming size, inching him toward retreat as the elephant rifle feels small by comparison.
A group of young Australians packed dynamite in a bottle with a waterproof fuse and hurled it into a creek pool. A retriever fetched the fizzing bomb despite commands. The blast threw two men and killed the dog, leaving little trace afterward.
A young woman uses a telephone for the first time and, after a nervous moment at the mouthpiece holes said to strain her voice, she becomes flustered and forgets the number she intended to dial. The drug clerk explains the purpose of the holes, adding a humorous note to the scene.
In a New York Press vignette Toost ing Sharr pays fifty dollars to a magistrate after a confrontation about a speed law. He then climbs into a ninety horsepower racer, jokes about not resigning, and drives off, vowing to break another speed law.
An art photographer visiting a farm seeks to study a specific land area and asks the hired man to stay at his current post on the fence for days at a time. The farmer agrees but notes the man must remain still as requested. The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports this exchange.
In a humorous exchange a customer asks which plaster has the fewest holes to stretch his funds, prompting the druggist to offer a variety of porous plasters and sparking a lighthearted bargain over value.
French proverb notes that nature guides affection for friends while religion instructs love toward enemies, contrasting secular and spiritual wisdom in human relations.
A Pensacola post office guide explains mail handling safeguards from box renters to registered matter. It covers boxing checks, misboxes, return cards, backstamping, and the daily 4:80 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. peak flow with 5 000 to 6 000 letters. It details special delivery, registry, money orders, proper packaging, prepaid postage, return requests, and stamped envelopes to insure safe delivery.
An exchange in the Cleveland Plain dealer prompts a test of nerve for an airship navigator. The reply references a prior outing in a canoe with a nervous fat girl, illustrating rugged humor amid the era's adventure talk.
A witched aside on marriage lengths from Dallas News notes the first year of marriage sees affection for the wife, the second year awkwardness with a baby, and every year thereafter restraint and restraint of speech.
A London hotel proprietor hears a cry and finds a contortionist from a circus tangled behind his neck. Berkeley frees the man who had walked on his hands down twenty stairs, collapsing in exhaustion after the unusual rescue.
In the Town of Bristol Court on January 14 1909 a petition by Mary Cuniff and others requests that Thomas F Cuniff be appointed guardian of the person and estate of Michael J O Rourke a person of full age. The matter is referred to February 10 1909 for consideration with notice to be published in the Bristol Phoe on January 16 22 29. John M Cogswell Probate Clerk.
On January 12 1908 Etienne H Hazard administrator for the estate of Jabez H Hazard late of Bristol presents a final account for allowance. The court sets a hearing for February 1 1909 at 10 30 A M in Bristol Probate Court to consider the account and orders fourteen days notice to be published weekly in the Bristol Phoenix starting January 15 22 and 29. John M Coggeshlie probate clerk.
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