Sammy Hiller the Toledo bootblack who sent home $21
The Register notes Sammy Hiller, a bootblack from Toledo, once sent his mother $21 from Washington during the National Drill. It also states Mexico’s railway expansion from 500 miles in 1880 to over 3600 miles by year’s end, with American ownership of 2700 miles and a revenue rise from $17.8 million in 1879 to $33 million in 1886, plus £120 million invested.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Sammy Hiller
Toledo
Sammy
Washington
Mexico
Boy kills tarantula after mistaking it for bug
In Little Rock a boy under eight asked to kill a bug, and after harming a tarantula he brought it to his mother. The tale is followed by notes on tar painting in Austrian garrisons, which reduced dust and irritative eye disorders, improved cleanliness, and kept parasites out, though the tar’s somber color is a drawback.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
George Trumpler
Little Rock
Ark
Hand and ball carving inspires curiosity from Sadowski yard
The Oroville Mercury notes a half grown lemon in Charles Sadowski’s Pine street yard resembling a hand cupping a ball. It also reports Dr. Hotus the African explorer's return to England with a vast collection: 147 cases containing 602 animal skins, 2,221 birds, 27,000 insects, 6,500 plants, and extensive meteorological and elevation data.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
THE
Oroville Mercury
Charles Sadowski
Pine Street
Hotus
England
Indians Laugh Through New Pantaloons Law in Guadalajara
Juan Panapino recounts September first festivities as Mexicana Indians in Guadalajara adapt to a law requiring pantaloons. Balconies filled with amused observers as aguadores ecargadores carboneros and others adjust to pocket placement and awkward fits amid initial grumbling. The group accepts the change with good humor.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Juan Panapino
Guadalajara
Aguadores
Ecargadores
Carboneros
Chicago Boulevards Inspire Berlin Promenade Plan
The Prussian Councilor Dr Hobacht praised Chicago’s boulevards in a report to Berlin’s municipal Council. He urged similar promenades laid out like flower gardens and parks combined. Berlin will start improving its capital with boulevards on the Chicago plan and large open spaces for children’s play.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chicago
Hobacht
Berlin
German Empire
Chicago Boulevard
English Gentleman Finds Fungus Blocking Wine Room Entrance
An English gentleman, away for a long period, returns to find the door to his wine cellar blocked by a huge fungus growth. He had ordered Mahnsey sweet wine to be kept there and told his butler to open the room for guests. The discovery astonishes him.
Mysterious stone balls hide lizards and a frog skeleton
A farmer in Roane County West Virginia unveils a tar coated fence trap catching squirrels. He observes lines of rodents retreating to the woods along a fence, leaves and sticks sticking to their feet, hindering climbing. In odd finds, casks and hollow stones reveal frogs and decayed reptiles entombed nearby.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Fort McDowell
A. T
Coroner
Roane County
West Virginia
Reentrance of Sherman recalls a true political tale
The article recalls Senator Sherman’s 1880 Republican convention standoff with Gen. Grant. A forged dispatch to sway Sherman’s supporters nearly altered the nomination, but the operator tore up the fraudulent note. It also reports on British three card monte scams targeting Americans on rail lines, including a U S Army officer who lost 120 dollars before realizing he was duped.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Senator Sherman
Sherman
Grant
Gen. Grant
London
Iim
Prince of Wales
United States Army
Liverpool
Water purification method and infant illness note
Popular Science cites a Bergen Norway notice recommending 4 drops of a salicylic acid solution per 100 g water to keep water fresh for three months. It also notes a contagious infant diarrhea linked to a microbe and suggests a daily dose of 2 percent lactic acid after each feeding.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Norsk
Academy of Medicine
The Sword and its Ages of Blades Across Nations
A sprawling prose item explores swords from stone age relics to Teutonic and Greek blades, Richard the Lionheart era longswords, Saladin’s scimitar, and a wooden South Sea Islander blade. It notes fencing’s rise, Oriental sharpness, and a sharp blade stereotype linked to American and Indian lore, with anecdotes of sword practice and a fading global sword industry.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New Orleans Picayune
Joseph Jones
Richard
Saladin
India
Alexander Dumas
Walter Scott
Europe
United States
Cavalry
Springfield
Mass
Midnight music sparks ballet of bronze in jewelry shop
In a quiet jewelry store at midnight a music box plays a lively waltz. Bronze statues begin a comic waltz, a gilded Ceres argues about the horn of plenty, and a Louis Quarterze clock pretends to blush while a watch chides the racket.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Texas Siftings
Ceres
Holland and its canal and river landscapes described
George Stitchcock writes in Scribner's Magazine about the Dutch waterways from a canal line to river mouths. He praises blue water, green banks, and harbor vistas, noting Zeeland’s landscape with windmills. He argues true landscape painters find less obstruction in Holland than elsewhere and calls the country a continuous artistic scene.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Rhine
Holland
Zeeland
Ling
George Stitchcock
Scribner’s Magazine
Start Balky Horses No Whipping or Abuse Advisers Say
Authorities agree balky horses should not be whipped or abused. Suggestions include waiting, talking kindly, giving small rewards, patting the horse, loosening gear, and careful inspection. Methods also cover gentle distraction such as rechecking equipment and mild bit of restraint described, with caution about safety and tendon injury.
Is Kissing Unhealthy A Satirical Take On 19th Century Views
The piece parodies claims that kissing is unhygienic by recalling romantic and historical anecdotes from Rowena to Cromwell era, then mocks a scientist who argues kissing spreads animalcules. It ends with defiant amusement at the idea.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
England
Rowena
Hengist
Cromwell
Cavendish
Pretty Work for Nimble Fingers and Fancy Cushions
A catalog of home crafts describing sack cushions in satin plush or velvet with ribbon ties. Notable pieces include crimson and olive cushions, a Crusader style cracker hassock, plush flour tubs with gold satin, double nightdress sachets, a phish cushion with daffodil and lattice trim, and an ornate threefold screen with swans, trophies, and musical instruments, all praised for symmetry and artistry by Loueswwife.
The Wise Fly and Tales of Food Adulteration
A column on adulterated foods and dubious kitchen practices mocks meat sugar pepper and coffee while retelling the Arabian tale The Wise Fly. It warns of fake oils, watered milk, and unsafe additives with satirical bite and ancient proverbs.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
United States
Chicago
Two Meals Per Day and Fasting Benefits in Health
The piece argues for two meals daily with a seven hour gap, urging against midday eating. It cites natural energy peaks, cites Newton as an example of focus, and notes fasting can tone the stomach. It shares personal trials of three and seven day fasts and references biblical and cultural eating patterns.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Isaac Newton
Newton
Christ
Samaria
St. Peter
Joppa
Never write in a letter what you can say to his face
A tale from the New York Tribune recounts a young man’s dangerous error of venting anger in a letter. An old attorney advises delay and ultimately returns the letter, stressing the rule to speak directly to the person. The anecdote underscores prudence in writing and confrontation.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York Tribune
Unearthing Scorched Toys On Broadway Ruins
At dusk 500 to 1000 children gather beside the burned P J Keary Bros toy shop at 343 Broadway two doors above Worth Street. Since July 2 workers dig through debris exposing toys horns whistles and other treasures. Children trumpet and whistle drawing passers by as they linger past midnight before dispersing.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Broadway
P. J. Keary & Bros
Worth Street
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the Register
New Harmony, Indiana
Popular Science
Bessemer