Ex-joker recounts road knights tale of prank and injury
A Detroit Free Press piece recounts an old drummer nicknamed Jake who reveals how practical joking once earned him a lame life. He recalls poker nights, a failed pedro scam, a fall from a second story window, and bullets from vigilantism leaving him earless and leg-wounded.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Jake
Knights of the Road
Lambs
Sonny
Colorado
Pedro
Vigilance Committee
Detroit Free Press
Death of Nelson and West Portrait Echo an Old Anecdote
Benjamin West's Death of Nelson is tied to a dinner tale with Sir William Hamilton. Nelson regrets not loving art yet praises West’s Death of Wolfe. West notes no more subjects exist but Nelson hopes to die in the next battle, a wish that prophecy fulfills.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Benjamin West
Nelson
Sir William Hamilton
Hamilton
West
Wolfe
The Nobleman and the Scarecrow Suit
A north of Ireland landowner spots a labourer named Mat in shabby clothes. He offers a suit for his wear home. Mat later wears the suit but explains he left it at home to be mended, keeping the best clothes at the house hidden.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Ireland
Mat
London
Stranger Seeks Chemist in Scotch Town
A passerby, looking frail, asks a resident for directions to the chemist. The local replies they have no such shop, only whisky for people and tar for sheep, noting that is the only medicine available. The exchange highlights rural skepticism about medicine.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London
Uncle Si Seeks Coffee After Dental Visit
In a humorous note from the Chicago Tribune, Uncle Si from Upccreek drops by a lunch counter after a molar extraction and orders a cup of coffee. A laugh follows as the waitress asks for a draw and he responds with a bright grin.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Uncle Si
Upccreek
Chicago Tribune
The Woman's Club Debate Sparks Theories On Education
The Chicago Post notes a woman with current schooling but lacking practical home skills. She impresses with theoretical knowledge and parliamentary law talk, making her shine in any women’s club she joins.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chicago Post
Oyster acid content and college quip in brief
A Washington Star quip compares college value with a Portguese oysters acidity note. The piece cites a finding that a dozen Portuguese oysters contain about six grains of phosphoric acid while French oysters have about four grains per dozen.
The Story of a Mean Man and His Ingenious Worker
A New York Mail and Express tale recounts a mean employer who contracts crushed stone work The engineer Henry improves a stone machine so it does more work in less time The owner shifts payment from monthly to hourly after dismissing Henry following higher output and earnings disputes
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Henry
New York Mail and Express
Editor recalls radical London paper that failed in exile
The former editor of a radical London era publication recounts its rise and fall in exile. He explains how internal splits over social democracy and atheism fractured support, leading to dwindling subscribers, then him, and finally the paper’s end as too unsettling to read or sustain.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London
New York Commercial Advertiser
Wordplay in a Pearsons joke strip from Pearson’s
Tom and Rob trade linguistic quips about dangerous and longest words. Tom asserts beleaguered contains over three miles between ends, while earlier banter cites stumbles and incomprehensibility and playful misdirections about smiles.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Tom
Rob
Pearson's
Sailor’s Shout Sparks Accent Swap in Audition
During a visit to America Michael Gunn heard a candidate for the chorus imitate an Italian accent. The stage manager urged more Whitechapel feel for sailors. Gunn questioned the voice, and the singer switched to Irish declaring kinship with Gunn.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
America
Michael Gunn
Gilbert and Sullivan
Whitechapel
Gunn
Shure
Mr. Gunn
Army pompousness blamed after private letter scare
In Chicago News a discussion notes Quinn and De Fonte arguing over pompous army behavior. Finn’s promotion to corporal leads to letters still marked private to avoid suggesting rank.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Quinn
de Fonte
Finn
Chicago News
Writer links odors to deafness in quirky claim
A newspaper story notes a writer asserting odors can cause deafness, while another editor laughs at loud music as a counterpoint. The exchange underscores oddball theories and a wry newsroom mood in the Pittsburgh Chronicle Telegraph.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Boarder
Cross Eyed Boarder
Pittsburg
Henry S Watson Illustrations in Naples Travel Sketches
Henry S. Watson the illustrator found travel in Naples full of wonder after not knowing European travel. His sketches in village inns reveal his miscommunications with locals until a drawn scene of himself waking at 6 am clarifies the message, a vignette cited by the Saturday Evening Post and Atchison Globe.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Henrys. Watson
Naples
Saturday Evening Post
Tell a Good Story and Stick to It
A well known actor returns home around 2 AM and spins a long fairy tale about a night with friend Charlie B. His wife exposes the ruse as Charlie waited for an engagement, prompting the star to maintain he will not alter his tale.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Rialto
Charlie B
Charlie
Swamp Angel Gun Moves and Military Pranks Revealed
The New York Tribune recounts Civil War anecdotes about moving the Swamp Angel near Charleston. An engineer jokes about Tombigbee water flow, then officials press for heavy artillery despite boggy terrain. A tall requisition sparks caution on joking with superiors.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Charleston
New York ‘Tribune
French cook contrasted with English in Dieppe opinion
John Strange Winter notes from Dieppe that the French kitchen is efficient and frugal. She says the French cook avoids waste and treats household chores as natural, cherishing copper pans and burnished copper wall adornments, unlike an English cook who would complain at copper upkeep.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London
John Strange Winter
Dieppe
Dinners at Brooklyn Club Offer Value on Select Weekdays
A discussion in the New Yorker recounts a Brooklyn club serving first class dinners at low prices on Mondays Tuesdays and Thursdays with equal luncheons on other days. A woman explains the schedule reflects wash day ironing day and the girl’s day out, prompting a wry remark about stag parties.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Brooklyn
New York Times
Cardinal Wiseman Dines With Friends After Forgetting Fast Day
A humorous anecdote from Augustus J. Hare’s The Story of My Life recalls Cardinal Wiseman dining with Mrs Thurlow and friends on a Friday. Lacking a proper fast day meal, he blessed the table and declared the repast to be fish, then enjoyed the meal heartily.
Uncle Reuben's Farn Wagon Gossips Reach City Niece
A light exchange from the Columbus State Journal frames Uncle Reuben arriving to fetch two sideboards for his farm wagon. The niece questions the need, while the uncle clarifies the sideboards are for his agricultural wagon project, hinting at rural humor and daily life.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Reuben
Columbus State Journal
Bright student at Mount Holyoke noted in fragment
A fragment mentions a bright girl at Mount Holyoke College and casual meal details. It references a Boston Journal review and a remark about the coal seat and company preparation, attributed to common newspaper styles.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mount Holyoke College
Boston Journal
Marry Money Or Work: A Night at the Club
In a tense club scene T Willie Rockingham reflects on a plan urged by Brown-Jones to aid Mrs Brown-Jones. Accusations hover as he contemplates marriage to wealth versus independence while observers discuss the couple and the value of status.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
T. Willie Rock Ingham
T. Willie
New York
B.S
Dinner Party Drama Strains Etiquette as Society Lectures
Washington whispers hint at wealth and status as Mrs Montague Brown hosts a lavish dinner. The guest of honor debates women's roles in society while a young child disrupts the scene, announcing a missing nightgown and a call from the kitchen.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Washington
Champagne and a cashier’s downfall in a small town
A Louisville Times item recounts how a cashier’s habit of seeking champagne boiled ham led curious neighbors to suspect misdeeds. Bank directors investigated, found the tale true, and the gourmand was jailed, with his gourmet ham habit cited as the trigger.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Treavens
Blank
Louisville Times
Home Again at Last Darling and Longing for You
A light conversational scene shows a reunited couple, John and his wife, exchange affectionate banter about his return after a long absence. They joke about time passing slowly and the surprise of only a short separation, both cherishing their renewed closeness.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
John
Darling
Adonis
Pearson’s Weekly
Cheeky Wintergreen Wins Over Mrs De Young
A noted quip from the Cleveland Plain Dealer recalls Wintergreen charming the aloof Mrs De Young at their first meeting by remarking on her hair turning gray. The line showcases witty social banter from the era.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Wintergreen
de Young
Cleveland Plain Dealer
Sister's New Beau (to Freddy) Star Ings
A humorous dialogue excerpt shows a sister teasing Freddy about her long hair while Freddy replies with mixed affection and doubt, reflecting playful domestic banter from an Indianapolis Journal page.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Freddy
Indianapolis Journal
Sayre's Surgical Ingenuity Echoed in Army Wound Care
The Army and Navy Journal recounts Dr. Lewis A. Sayre of New York who, as a medical student, saved an Irishman’s leg by improvised care. He later used taw stuffing and tarred hemp as wound dressings, pioneering the adoption of oakuim in army field surgery.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
The
Army and Navy Journal
Lewis A. Sayre
New York City
College of Physicians and Surgeons
New York
Wealth and leisure across ages and cultures
A quotation from An American Mother in The Ladies' Home Journal contrasts American obsession with money with older cultures. It notes midlife London merchants retire to small incomes, Germans and French avoid work after 60 pursuing studies or hobbies, and traveling couples roam Europe with Baedekers seeking curiosity before life ends.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Ladies’ Home Journal
London
Jolly
Europe
Baedeker
A Boer and English Soldier Share Mercy on Battlefield
Dr. Conan Doyle reports a Boer and an English soldier wounded together. They exchange a drink and a piece of biltony as a token of courtesy before ambulances arrive. They part with a friendly goodbye reflecting on their unlikely meeting.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Dr. Conan Doyle
Goodby
Not from Chicago but anger stirs a quiet clash
A brief Cleveland Plain dealer piece portrays a conversation where a woman claims not being from Chicago and tells a man not to anger her. She says she stamps her feet, he notes her small shoes and dismisses the possibility, sparking a sharp, humorous exchange.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chicago
Cleveland Plain Dealer
Asses' Heads Draw Pat's Wry Insight on Supply
An Irishman named Pat passes a London shop and learns from a seller that the shop offers asses' heads. Pat quips that the seller must be in demand since he only has his own heads left on display.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London
Pat
Amity Drawback Noted in Court Comedy
In a witty court exchange Mrs. Jopps tells the judge her husband is kind but financially impractical. The judge prompts her for fault and she replies that his expense is his pestiness. The remark highlights domestic quirks in a humorous moment.
Foreign origins of familiar foods and baths
The passage notes that Prussian blue is an English chemical product, Irish stew is actually from England, and Turkish baths originated in Russia rather than Turkey. It highlights how names do not always reflect origins, with several items misattributed to their supposed homelands.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Prussia
England
Turkey
Russia
Also Mentioned on This Page
Mike
Pete
Washington Star
Atchison Globe
Omaha World- Herald
Royal Baking Powder
Royal Baking Powder CO
NEV
Citizens’ Savings Bank
U.S
Opptoras
Josefh Krew
Cnas
H. Krew
Frank Sthwart
I. M. Sprounn
M. L. Logan
A. S. Hays
Temple Boullding Dental Parlors
Cuide
Baird & Bailey
O. F. Haight
Johnson's ‘Bakery
Bnt
Johnson's Bakery
Harwood
South Side
J. B. Randal
Postotee
H. Knecht
Journal
Baird
Bailey
Gly Sen
Minnesota
North Dakota
Manitoba
Montana
Idaho
Oregon
British Columbia
Geo. D. Rearns
Des Moines
Omaha
KFE Stewart
Agt
Great Rock Island
Oo. J. Wilson
Attorney At Law
Bear Alberson's Grocery
Temple Building
Washington, Iowa
W. H. Butterfield
Ore T'Satore
Iawa
W. E. Anderson
Klein's Clothing
Ashington
Iowa
Hotel Allen
Frank Bovers
Marsh W. Bailey
City Hall
P. J. Hanley
Washington County Savings Bank
Madison Medicine Co
Madison
Wis
M. Lombardo
North Side Square
T. J. Dempsey
SID& Square
National Bank
W. KR. Jeffrey
A. Anderson
J.T. Anderson
Ass't
Don General Banking
Anizhd
A. H. Wallace
A. Warrn
Wm. Barn
C. M. Keck
First National Bank
Wm. Blair
O. H. Keck
L. D. Robinson
Frank Stewart J F Handarann
Yoweeee
Columbian School of Osteopathy
Kirksville, Mo
Dixon & Matthews
Postoffice
Kemble
Kemble Flower Co
Oskaloosa
R. F. Riley
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