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This newspaper page contains 13 articles. Subscribers can read the full text of each article.
Newspaper
Plainfield Courier
Location
Plainfield, New Jersey, United States of America
Date
Dec 15, 1891
Page
4
Fragmentary verse depicts a wild windy scene in Lovers Walk with drifting leaves and roaming birds. The speaker notes fragrant winds and a sobbing breeze, while references to hearts and lovers echo throughout the undated lines attributed to Hester Midleton.
An aging railroad engineer recalls a perilous late night eastbound run from Pittsburg to Altoona. A fierce storm, landslides, and mountains loom as he battles to control the train while a spectral collision threat looms from a speeding locomotive seen briefly beyond the bend.
A runaway locomotive pursues a passenger train as the helper engine proves too powerful to stop. The narrator recalls zooming down the track at high speed then narrowly passing a dangerous embankment and surviving a near catastrophe. The tale ends with the writer heading to his next run.
The St Louis Republic recounts a tale from Notes for the Curious about General Sherman dozing in a farm house. He dreamt guerrillas planted powder under his room and blew it up, then woke to a red glow and a blast as the house wrecked, a dream said to have saved his life.
A compact note traces how Western slang steeped in foreign roots mutates meaning. Examples include ca hoot from French cohort, spree from esprit, savvy from Spanish saber, vamos from vamos, cavort from caver, loafer from German lauler, and bass from Dutch bass, with landlubber and boozy cited among others.
The article recalls Sir Edwin Arnold describing a grand Japanese dinner with twenty to thirty dishes. Guests may chat and start again, then after others eat, a large tub of rice and fresh tea arrive. Each guest eats two bowls of rice and more soaked with tea, leaving readers puzzled at the ritual.
An ant three eighths of an inch long carrying a burden of one sixth of a grasp moves at one mile in eleven hours. This weight, though small for ants, equals a man five feet tall weighing 140 pounds carrying a ton and a half of lead from St Louis to Jefferson City and back in twenty two and a half hours.
A readable fragment cites a witty Minnow dialogue from the Indianapolis Journal. Hungry Higgins taunts a passerby offering a dime while accusing the man of dodging work with sharp, humorous exchanges reflecting urban poverty and charity dynamics of the period.
Across the page, society items report W. K. Vanderbilt and family arriving in Paris and ex Empress Eugenie wintering in Egypt. Casual notes mention Chauntey Depew’s name,” Howells children writing for juveniles, and Robert T. Lincoln visiting Rome. A daring rescue by Capt. Wood and sons on the Hudson follows. Henry M. Stanley II educates rescued enslaved youths. Marcella Ayala, Chilean convict, long-lived at 100plus. Julian Arnold, Julien, linked to Ladon Telegraph. Dr. Edward Warren Bey earns commander rank in Spain. An equestrian statue of Harrison moves from Cincinnati to bronze casting in Chicopee. Senator Palmer walks with his wife in Washington. Mining expert Nelile Cashman, a young Arizonan, noted for reliability.
A collage of editorial quips and observations from various papers noting the difficulty of uncovering truth about China and Russia, sports jargon about football, calls for reform in South America, mentions of Balmaceda, water shortages in Maine, prohibition effects, science names, Chicago horse meat controversy, Minneapolis press pulpit unity, and press-pulpit collaboration in Kansas City.
A humorous Christmas notes column offers satirical tips on gifts money and behavior. It jokes about Santa the stocking ritual English influence and gift plans while poking fun at bachelors and social etiquette. The tone is light and comic with a quip about a bachelor pulling out a collar-button.
A Detroit Free Press quotation lampoons politicians with humorous misspellings about tariffs, the eagle, ballot honesty, and the Prohibition party. It mocks vote totals, brain softening under pressure, and Uncle Sam's fearlessness.
A humorous column notes quirks of women and social habits. It mentions keeping gloves separate, men courting their best girl, a custom about boarding horsecars, tipping in restaurants, and a French fashion detail with a jewel-studded button for stocking supporters. It ends with a quip about three girls walking side by side.
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