Trial at Old Pop Castle Court in a Jim Crow scene
An account of a wartime era mock court held by Uncle Cephas Bolden, a newly appointed magistrate, with a jury frame under an oak. The prosecutor, a sharp mulatto, parrots bold mock legal rhetoric while the judge and crowd watch as Nickydemus Wagstaff is accused in a racially charged, prelude to punishment scene.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Pop Castle
Aarge
Cephas
Bolden
Thaourt
Bizness
Uncle Cephas
de Gan
Gentermans
Hyere
Nickydemus
Nickydemus Wagstaff
Elmighty
Roanoke
Tar
Crick
United States
Daniel Webster
Hisself
Nicodemus
Uncle Ceph
Grapevine Escape Defies Hanging in Pop Castle
In a dramatic scene, Nicodemus Wagstaff avoids execution as a grapevine noose breaks during a hanging attempt. The crowd, including Uncle Cephas, pursues him into the woods. The trial ends with the suspect escaped and the crowd seeking relief in spring water.
Dahlia nectar drugs bees in noon garden tale
A Detroit Free Press excerpt describes a dahlia garden where cut blooms ooze intoxicating juice at noon. Bees and wasps drink, stagger, fall, roll, then recover or resume work depending on access. The piece notes insects are drawn to the potent nectar and behave as if under an influence.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Detroit Free Press
A Hot Bath to Bring Sleep and a Salem Character
A teaser on using a hot bath to cure sleeplessness suggests sudden drowsiness after three minutes. It recalls Timothy Dexter of Salem Mass noted for his punctuation free work A Pickle For the Knowing Ones and his warming pan cargo misadventure in the West Indies.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Timothy Dexter
Salem
Mass
West India Islands
Bride seeks more affection from husband in humorous exchange
A bride tells her father she never doubts Henry’s love but would like more demonstrative affection. The father jokes about the sore eyed poodle in the house, asking what else she desires in this lighthearted Chicago Tribune exchange.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chicago Tribune
Fate of the flies shows astronomical brood sizes
An entomologist’s calculation traces a single female fly laying 120 eggs over ten to fifteen days. Even with optimistic generations, the math yields inconceivably large totals, suggesting many eggs perish and questioning how humanity handles such vast numbers of offspring.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Earth
Louisville Courier-Journal
A Frenchman’s Letter Ends With Curious Phrase
A French visitor to London writes a thank you note to his English host. Lacking English, he drafts the letter but, unsure of a word, uses a dictionary to find a French term. He then ends with the blessing "May the Lord pickle you and your family, to all eternity," misrendering the intended meaning.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Paris
London
Oranges and Lemons Recall Golden Days of Fruit
A Reminiscence club president laments abundant cheap oranges, recalls childhood in Pennsylvania where oranges were scarce and costly, and shares a tale of a family orange gift. An 1853 Detroit Tree Press ad touts Havana oranges received by steam for sale.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Reminiscence Club
Pennsylvania
Florida
Philadelphia
Detroit Tree Press
Common Salt Remedies From A Kitchen Shelf
The note highlights practical uses of common salt including removing dishware discoloration from tea and coffee stains, lifting egg stains from silver, preserving colors in fabrics during washing, cleaning China matting and willow furniture, serving as a dentifrice, and extinguishing chimney flames or fat flare ups by sprinkling salt on the fire.
Warring Birds and Misplaced Courage
A Country Life correspondent humorously notes how wild birds retreat from seemingly fierce smaller rivals illustrating illogical battles in nature. Examples include missel thrush pursued by sparrow and rook pursued by missel thrush, creating a circular chain of unlikely duels.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Missel Thrush
Sparrow
Rook
Sparrowhawk
Wren
Bible quiz stumps class with clever cover clue
A Sunday school member asked children Bible questions. When asked where the word holy first occurs, the class faltered until a sharp urchin answered with a witty note that it is on the cover.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Sar
Why It Was a Necessity Tale From a Scottish Parish
A rural Scottish minister questions a flock member about a work of necessity. John defines necessity as permitted when the hare may be away on Monday, offering a humorous exchange on Sabbath conduct and practicality.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Scotland
John
Gloucester mayor on portrait likeness head on view
A Gloucester Massachusetts mayor quipped that a portrait of a former official shows a pretty good likeness yet a profile view is less effective than a head on presentation, a remark noted with nautical phrasing and art criticism context.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Gloucester
Mass
A Morning Nap Campaign Against Early Rising
A long reflection argues against the old practice of waking at dawn for work and breakfast by candlelight. It cites health, mood, and nerve benefits from morning naps, touts potential crime reduction and fuel savings, and urges a late rising movement aligned with modern productivity and machinery.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Philadelphia
Turtles Attack Vineyard Prompt Wall Build Up New Barrier
An Algiers paper reports a colonial vine owner noticed vines gnawed at night. He investigated and found a slow army of turtles moving from the river to the vineyard. After laborers removed the pests, he erected a wall to prevent future attacks.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Algiers
Man’s Folly Brings Run of Bad Luck and Fines
A man enraged at his editor stopped his paper and faced a string of misfortunes. He sold a coin below market, had taxes assessed on property, was fined eight dollars for Sunday hunting, bought forged notes advertised two weeks prior, and paid a large American with a hammerlike foot to assault him at the newspaper office. He then prepaid four years and forced the editor to promise to knock him down if he tried to halt his paper again.
Also Mentioned on This Page
Fate OF the Flies
Fidelity & Deposit Co
Maryland
N. W. Cor. Charles and Lexington &Tr
BalTimorne, Mo
Edwin Warfield
Harry Nicodemus
Sec
Treas
Bond
Asa
U.S
Asan
Fidelity and Deposit Company of Maryland
Deweese & Owens
Denton, MD
G. K. Ebling
Ridgely, MD
WM. T. Jones
Als
Queen Anne, Md
J. R. Wooters
Nain
Dover Street
Hotel Avon
Easton
Preston
Denton
Harvey M. Thawley
Contractor
Carpenter, &c
Henry BR. Lewis
Alan Goldsborough
Lewis & Goldsborough, Attorneys-At-Law
Caroline
Counties
Tr Pliny Fisher
Qsear Clark
Denton, Mil
J Fletcher Clark
Y Baston
I. O Deen
Fowling Creek, MD
Caroline County
Ames T. Sylvester
Red R. Owens
R. Cochran, OR
Wilmington
Del
Mason
GHN
Dungan Justice OF the Peace
Hillaboro
F P. Covey
Agner
Journal
Harderill River
Frederica
Nathan H. Maxson
Webbs Landing
Bowers
Mber
Vhura
Too A
Werh's Bower's
Fier
Chestnut
Chester
Philadelm
Grentlemen
Ids
Frengnt
Frederica & Phila. Nay, CO
Frederica del
W. J. Blackiston
Enger
Azrymene
Speedy
S. Noweke, & Son
Denton, Maryland
Allbuilders
Etropia
Pia
Smith & Wright
Anklam Mfg CO
Optician
Hyes
Ridgely
James TT. Cooper
Undertaker
R. ¢. Garrett & CO
Pine St
W. T. Hignutt
Smithville
John W. Causby
Pres
WM. Denney
Sec’y and Treas
Kent County Mutual Insurance
Dover
Delaware
Cohn T. Carter, Jr
L. Irving Jones
Greensboro
Alex, Noble
Preston, Md
T. H. Evans & Company, Frumann Produce Commission
Meerrchan
Light Street
Baltimore, Maryland
Aphive
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