Quick Tales and Anecdotes From Fabled Crises
A collage of vignettes recalls Amos J. Cummings and a Sun editor sending a reporter to prove saloons sold liquor. a New England Episcopal church with two missions serving children. Roger the French tenor at a party ends with an extra 500 francs. Worth the milliner and a sharp painter exchange quippy barbs. Judge Royce in Vermont faces a robed plea in abatement. a Revolutionary War letter discusses Burgoyne and Philadelphia with cautious machination and a $195 sale result.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Amos J. Cummings
New York
The
Sun
Cummings
Murray
Tom
New England
Episcopal Church
East End
North End
Roger
Worth
Viadame
M. Constant
Royce
Vermont
Immigrant fruit store letter on streets and roof gardens
A letter from L. P. of a New York fruit store urges safer pedestrian habits and city action. It argues for roof gardens on tenements, calls for a law to push landlords to provide them, and contrasts side streets for pedestrians with busy streets for cars.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Harlem
E. Broadway
Jefferson
Manhattan
L. P
Greene Letter on 1777 Strategies Sold in Philadelphia
A notable letter from Gen Nathaniel Greene to Gen Varnum, dated August 17 1777 at Camp Cross Roads, was sold in Philadelphia. The missive discusses delaying maneuvers and the dangers of wasting the season while idle in Pennsylvania, reflecting Revolutionary War strategy.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Gen. Greene
Nathaniel Greene
Philadelphia
New York Times
Gen. Varnum
Cross Roads
Pennsylvania
Foxy German Emperor and His Eastward Rail Ambition
The article recounts Wilhelm II’s 1897 Near East tour and a secret bargain with Abdul Hamid II. A German- Turkish agreement grants exclusive rights to a railroad corridor across Turkey in Asia, covering 18 000 square miles for German fortune seekers to mine, farm, colonize, and power the route with water rights for electric use.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Abdul Hamid
Kaiser
Europe
Asia
F. Alexander Powell
Wilhelm
Near East
Palestine
Jerusalem
Haifa
Damascus
Ba’albek
Stamboul
Turkey
Crete
Turkey-in-Asia
A Reflection in Cincinnati Enquirer Passage
A narrator notes irritation over a lock of hair found by a man with an imagined method. The older girl smiles oddly and hints at a moment when the girl was briefly out of the room.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Cincinnati Enquirer
Is Squire Whetstone Kind to Animals
A Washington Star snippet features Si Simling joking about Squire Whetstone's treatment of animals. The quip notes he speaks kindly of animals while pursuing a boss trade as engineer.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Squire Whetstone
Si Simling
Washington Star
Bathing Girls Exchange Teasing Surf Lesson
Dialogue captures a playful exchange between Pearl and Ruby about learning to float and sink in the surf as a handsome rescuer appears. The scene emphasizes seaside banter and flirtatious humor in a coastal setting.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Pearl
Ruby
The Mechanics of Hanteur Despairing Scholar Contrast
A terse literary quote from Success Magazine depicts a man with a despairing gaze and a woman asserting her collar as a scholar would claim an upper shelf book. The exchange highlights themes of intellect and appearance.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Success Magazine
Untitled Hale Poem on Faith and Labor
The speaker asks for a name but recalls a nameless man who heard God and labored across the sea to build a city of ten thousand homes. There is no statue or memorial, only the living monuments of courage, love, and hope as recompense. The speaker seeks divine guidance to labor further and be counted among faithful souls.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
God
God of
Edward Everett Hale
Burglary Tools Mostly Made by Quiet Mechanics
A London detective notes burglars commonly obtain tools from respectable local mechanics who tailor and temper devices for profits. A historic case involved an escaped convict who commissioned drills from a blacksmith, who knew nothing of their illicit use. The only known workshop location was in the East End, decades ago, later shut down.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London
Williams
East End
It Is Better Farther On A Religious Folk Song
A reflective lyric passage travels through desert imagery toward the Jordan and a promised field. It cites faith in Jesus, endurance on the journey, and folk spiritual motifs with refrains about counting milestones and an Eden-tinged whisper.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Jesus
Eden
New York Horse Cars Deficit Revealed in Receiver Report
Joseph B. Mayer, receiver for the 28th and 29th Streets Crosstown Railway, filed a quarterly report with the Public Service Commission showing a deficit of 4275 for the quarter ending March 31 and an operating ratio of 230.02 percent. The road, 3.8 miles with single track, operates three horse cars on alternating headways, and shows gross earnings of 3174 against expenses of 7019 with 108 in other income and 538 in rentals. The assets list only the deficit. no general balance sheet or additional assets exist.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Joseph B. Mayer
29Th Streets
Crosstown Railroad Company
Public Service Commission
New York Tribune
Metropolitan Street Railway Company
Metropolitan
Wireless distress signal puzzles local man
Mr. Wilkins sits on a nail keg and reads a paper when he notices a wireless telegraph signal labeled C. O. D. He and Holbrook the grocer debate the acronym then conclude it may be a signal of distress reflecting the uneasy mood of the moment.
Lack at Last Excerpt Showa Superstition Across Town
Washington Star Investigation finds that girls wear shirtwaists at every event except burial, as narrator Erastus Pinkly recalls luck and proof. The piece notes a portrait of superstition in daily life and cultural habits.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Erastus
Washington Star
Trials and a Courtroom Quip from a Dull Session
A Superior Court judge listens as a long winded counselor drifts through his case. The judge notes the difference between trespassing on time and encroaching on eternity. A classroom joke about halves quarters and sixthteenths ends with a pun on mincemeat.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Superior Court
New York Times
Cause and Effect in a Parlor Remark
A Cleveland Leader brief quotes a jocular exchange praising a wife’s sweet disposition now that she raises many children. The remark notes her crankiness once and credits the children with softening her.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Cleveland
Building Code Lien Limits And Warrant Abuse Highlighted
Legal review quotes the New York Building Code on unsafe buildings and liens, noting a city cannot place a lien for debris or fatalities from a collapsed structure. It cites Jenkins v. City and condemns unlawful searches in Buckley v. Beaulieu for excessive removal of interior debris in pursuit of intoxicants.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York
Jenkins
New York Supplement
New York Supreme Court
Maine Supreme Court
Potato Pie Supper and Sunday Night Sermon Noted
A church notice board near Manchester lists a potato pie supper for Saturday evening and a Sunday evening subject titled A Night of Agony. The two announcements appear together in the Manchester Guardian.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Manchester
Manchester Guardian
Puzzle for the Policeman Dr Clifford Denied Entry
Dr Clifford faced a police guard in Birmingham while preparing for a sermon. He claimed fame and urgency, noting he was due to preach soon, but the officer doubted his seat and admitted only two previous Cliffords. The exchange shows a humorous clash between a famed preacher and strict protocol. The anecdote is reported in Women's Life.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Dr. Clifford
Galiieman
A Camera's Joke Sparks Quiet Debate
A man muses aloud about a camera's time exposure as an innocent bystander asks what he means. The exchange centers on photography jargon and the irony of a joke about a photographic technique.
Brand-new talking machine sweeper and letter opener
A brisk exchange in The Bohemian notes a sales pitch for a combined talking machine, carpet sweeper, and letter opener. The proprietor quips with a joke about being married when offered the invention.
Pictures Versus Literature Debate in Washington Star Quote
The Washington Star quotes a debate on art forms with a critic noting many prefer sending postcards over writing letters. The exchange highlights enduring tensions between visual and literary communication.
Notable Kentucky Exchange Over Coloured Title
A Billville letter notes a Kentucky man calling himself Col. Henry Clay Jones. He insists the title proves he is colored, despite dispute. An Atlanta Constitution excerpt mocks river floods and misfortunes at home, using dialect and humor.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Darkey
Kentucky
Col
Henry Clay Jones
Billville
Atlanta Constitution
Farmer and summer boarder discuss local vegetables
The exchange notes that fresh vegetables come from the same town store both characters use. They describe an acquired taste and confirm a shared source for produce.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Ryetop
Prisoner asks to speak with convict Smith before release
A prisoner requests a brief moment with convict Smith, but the jailer refuses noting Smith has just completed his sentence. He suggests asking again in about two weeks.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Smith
Alas Poor Man A Chat Between Alice And Emily
Dialogue pieces reveal Isabel accepting loss of her first husband while Emily notes her second husband may never reconcile. The exchange hints at emotional adjustment and differing responses to tragedy within a social circle.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Alice
Isabel
Emily
A Deceptive Figure Demands Sit Down Riff
A London Opinion quip lampoons social pretensions with a sharp line about a heavy woman replying to a table seating request. The exchange satirizes manners and class through a terse bon mot.
Womanlike Humour in a Widow’s Tale
A dialogue excerpt shows Madge noting a girl stopped crying when she realized she had no more handkerchiefs. Marjorie reveals the joke as the true reason, highlighting light social wit and character interaction in a domestic scene.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Madge
Marjorie
Suburban Test Probes Neighborly Rivalry in Lettuce Praise
A humorous exchange questions whether the Huxters and Panroves are good friends. The quip suggests neighborly loyalty thrives on shared garden praise, illustrating social ties in a light, satirical tone.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Huxters
Panroves
Puck
Witty Exchange Over Car Collision Noted in Puck Cartoon
In a humorous panel the characters debate a minor collision with the punchline about getting the car’s number. The fair occupant quips the incident will become a capital decorative piece for the den.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Blower
Puck
Pa's Wisdom on What a Philosopher Is
A pa explains to Little Willie that a philosopher is someone who can list many reasons why others should be content with their present lot in life. The remark frames philosophy as rationalizing satisfaction.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Willie
Wish to Grow Up Fashions in Child Talk
Comic exchange shows two boys debating face washing and wishing for growth to wear whiskers. A short humorous vignette from the Philadelphia Record captures childlike longing and playful banter.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Willie
Bobby
Philadelphia Record
Couple Imagines Fifteen-Year Royal Wedding
He jokes about becoming king in fifteen years while she responds with ecstasy, imagining their future marriage. The playful exchange centers on lifelong commitment and joyous anticipation.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Henrietta
Jimmie
Could Stand the Whalings
A wooden dialogue shows a visitor remarking on a boy’s frequent spankings in the woodshed. Tom My replies with wit, noting his parents’ sympathetic candy and a treat of a ball game outing after a spanking.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Tommy
Farmer Geehan Defends College Education Costs
A village grocer and Farmer Geehan debate higher education costs with humor. Geehan asserts his son paid more than seven hundred dollars, while the grocer mocks the notion of liberal learning.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Geehan
Invitation to Mr Short’s Wedding Creates Friendly Debt
Mrs Long offers a playful gift idea for Mr Short’s wedding. Long recalls lending $10 about two years ago and plans to send a receipted bill to settle the loan in a lighthearted note.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mrs. Long
Mr. Short
Long
Short
Sandy's Retort in a Doorway Exchange
A terse exchange unfolds as Sandy Pikes-Me feers at a doorstep confrontation with a door man over wealth and hiring a taxicab. The street dialogue hints at class tension and misperception about affluence.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Sandy
On the Contrary and a Banana Peel Prank
The garrulous party recounts an artist friend who painted a banana peel on the sidewalk so naturally that a man slipped. The opposite voice retorts that it could not have been natural if the first passerby merely tumbled on it.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Hiuht
The Microbe Discovery That Fell Short
The piece mocks a supposed universal cure after a germ-destroying breakthrough. It notes the next day’s report of a more powerful microscope revealing more germs, snuffing out the initial optimism. It extols the College of Hard Knocks as having a large alumni of successful men.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
College of Hard Knocks
Age of a Chickens Teeth Myth Refuted in Lesson
A classroom dialogue shows Johnny asking how to determine a chicken's age. The teacher points out chickens have no teeth, contrasting the misconception with factual aging methods, as Jeanny corrects the statement.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Jenny
Johnny
Jeanny
Court Offers Six Years Hard Labor For Burglar
A reform sentence proposes six years of hard labor with an opportunity to learn a trade, potentially by correspondence, for the burglar. The speaker questions if learning by correspondence should be allowed.
Tivo Surprises in New Oreland Reformatory Visit
A mission worker visiting a local reform school encounters Jim, an old acquaintance and inmate, once regarded as a model of integrity. Jim bluntly admits being charged with stealing a barrel of sweet potatoes, eliciting the worker’s surprised reaction.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New Oreland
Sim
Jaessum
Jim
Yessum
Wrens Gisssnoxis Gyer Task C.s
A fragmentary item notes a man who plans to marry but is already wed, creating a social dilemma. The brief hints at a mistaken betrothal and the implication of a traditional arranged union.
By Wey of Diversion. A Summer Boarder Seeks Time
A rustic exchange shows a summer boarder asking how to pass time while a farmer suggests coaxing the old woman to let him whitewash the chicken house in a dialect rich scene.
Thrifty Versus Liberal Wife Attracts Debate
A witty exchange questions the value of a wife in terms of thrift versus generosity. The piece notes music charms from the Democratic Telegraph and lampoons neighbors who pound the piano for long hours.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Democratic Telegraph
When a new man engages in bus ness, how polite he Ia
A clipped quip notes how a newcomer to business should present courtesy and tact. The line uses playful misspellings to underline social expectations of civility, while hinting at the era’s small talk and professional etiquette.
Mary At It Agazin
A playful note about Mary’s dinner misadventure as a chicken dish looms large in her meal. The scene centers on a small chicken order and a waiter presenting a modest bill of a dollar ninety cents.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mary
Old Age at Work Sparks Debate on Employment
A correspondent questions age based hiring norms, arguing public bias against employers who keep workers over 20 years beyond prime. The New York Times notes superior goods from established firms, while aged workers face limited roles, pension concerns, and ethical tensions. The piece laments a cruel system and seeks a remedy.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Rennedy
New York Times
Bed For Hospitals Lets Change Patient Position
A Kentucky inventor has created a bed that can be raised or lowered at the head to any position, easing comfort for the bed ridden and hospital patients nationwide. This adjustable bed offers a boon to medical care by enabling easier patient repositioning and relief.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Kentucky
Bed with adjustable frame offers reclining chair comfort
A bed features crossbar standards with rollers and a wheel gear to raise the head, plus a T shaped bar under the legs to prevent sliding when tilted. The design lets a bedridden person shift position and feel like seated in a reclining chair, offering relief for long confinement.
Nourishing Sugar in the Nursery Advocated by Experts
An article praising sweets for children cites specialists and physicians who favor sugar rich foods and fruits as safe for infants. It argues that replacing starchy paps with pure milk and sweets boosts vigor, happiness, and reduces infant mortality, endorsed by Dr. Hutchinson in Success Magazine.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Success Magazine
Horsemanship in Heaven: a child asks about God's parents
A quip from Success Magazine envisions a child pondering divine parentage. Little Kenneth asks who hitched the horse for God's mother, prompting his mother to explain that God has no father, sparking a playful meditation on creation.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Kenneth
Success Magazine
Cigar Quip Reflects on Elger and a Man
In a concise exchange Mr B notes letting his elger go out and Mrs B likens a cigar to a man, saying both are spoiled if they go out. The dialog centers on presence and the value of keeping things lit.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mr. B
Mrs. B
Also Mentioned on This Page
Burgoyne
Ticonderoga
Washington
Foxy
Desert
River Jordan
Rude Man
Sre
Efe
Tivo
Wrens Gisssnoxis
E, Ant
Heaven
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