22 Dec 1899
Page 1
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This newspaper page contains 16 articles. Subscribers can read the full text of each article.
Newspaper
Mckean Democrat
Location
Smethport, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Date
Dec 22, 1899
Page
1
A determined individual faced ridicule as he pursued learning and self improvement. Despite early mockery and speech challenges, his perseverance and growth drew praise from neighbors and led to rising fame. The Chicago Times Herald credits S. E. Kiser for the profile.
Two aging women run a boarding house while facing social judgment from a neighbor Mrs Hall who condemns their enterprise and dismisses a sick painter resident as low trash. The narrator and Mitty persevere, finding independence through work and boarders amid class snobbery and gossip.
An aging couple helps a sick man, Bernard Waller, during hardship and digests a quiet romance. Though Mitty and I fear death, Waller survives, reveals wealth, and marries Mitty. They return to a grand home, keeping their tin boarding sign as a reminder of humble beginnings and true charity.
A Chicago Post excerpt recounts Harrison A. McPherson describing his wife’s experience in China. Exchanging $100 yielded hundreds of large coins, making transport impractical. He notes travelers should avoid copper and silver valuables or risk lugging a freight car of currency.
Superintendent Sloan of the House of Correction in Chicago plans an experimental reform program for female inmates. He has built three greenhouses totaling 4 000 square feet to grow roses for the Chicago market and aims to soften prisoners through horticulture with carnations and chrysanthemums also produced. A new Chicago Post Office machine cancels 400 to 900 letters per minute.
The London Mail describes large scale handbills issued by relatives seeking details of missing or dead soldiers. Examples include a private whose name was Gordon, spent about 150000 on inquiries, and notices mailed from India to Burmah and Zululand. The practice spans decades and campaigns, with graphic appeals about whether the missing man survived, was mutilated, or met the carnage of battle.
Ainslee's Magazine notes how Kentucky and Tennessee sit at a border of North and South, shaping Civil War scars and modern tensions with rugged topography. It mentions Arkansas links and highlights Tennessee as a blend of rural life and poetic governors while moonshine and sugar cane define its rural lore.
A Chicago Tribune misread wrapper prompts a housemaid to insist the residents are the Smiths. The postman corrects her, explaining McHoo stands for March 1900, and praises her as having potential as he departs.
The Chicago Democrat notes that 1870 era shells split into far fewer fragments than today. An ordinary shell then produced 19 to 30 pieces, shrapnel counted 37, and a 70 pound bomb yielded 42 fragments. Modern charges with peroxilene break into about 1200 pieces, hurled at higher velocity. The piece ends with a claim about Switzerland having the highest lunatic percentage.
An account by Captain Wellby describes two naked Walamo races near Lake Rudolf reputed to can create insanity by gaze. The piece weighs three explanations—trick by natives, a poisonous drug, or hypnotic mind influence—as possible, noting the need for cautious inquiry and stressing evidence over incredulity.
A group of nuns in King William's Town South Africa establish a convent of female blacksmiths. They buy a farm, train as smiths, and run a brick forge with oxhide bellows. Their work earns respect and curiosity from Boer and English neighbors alike.
A restaurant keeper notes that many so called imported cheeses are produced domestically in Wisconsin and nearby states. He cites Green county’s dairy output of around 6 million pounds and says Swiss and Limburger types are mass produced to mimic European imports for export to the coast and beyond.
In Kansas cornfields cornstalks reach 22 feet with ears more abundant than ever. Records include an Atchison County ear with 28 rows and over 1.20 grains, and pumpkins, watermelons, squashes, radishes, and potatoes reported from several counties. An apple orchard in Cowley yielded 1100 dollars. Cape Town reports tallest constables at six six and a half inches, with 38 officers taller than six feet.
The article notes several field howitzer batteries to be added to the U S Army artillery. It compares British and French howitzers, explains shrapnel effectiveness, and discusses muzzle velocity and calibre advantages. It cites German ships using howitzers for high angle fire and coastal gun removal.
Reports state natives in South Africa and British newspapers note rapid war news transmission across the frontier. Tribesmen respond to calls such as 3 000 men from Povindah as British forces move to frontier posts. A Rhodesian paper laments lost telegraphic links and recalls Mashona speed at Umtali, Shangani, and 400 miles in eight hours.
The Bangor area reports about 150 deer shot by women from Massachusetts and other states. Guides note many female hunters are skilled, endure fatigue, and often bring down deer, challenging Maine hunter stereotypes. The trend marks the first strong influx of women into the state's hunting scene.
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