Patti and Gerster Rivalry Sparks Kiss Controversy in 1834
In a San Francisco sequence from 1834, Patti recounts a kiss from Governor Crittenden after a performance, describing the moment as swift and unresisted. Mme. Gerster dismisses the fuss, noting there is nothing wrong in a man kissing a woman “old enough to be his mother,” while a reporter questions the incident.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Patti
Gerster
San Francisco
General Crittenden
Mixsours
Patt U
Mme
Bluads
Crittenden
Ratti
Mme Crister
Alme
Mme. Gerater
Argonaut
Mediaeval paychologist and fakir tale from Boston Herald
A Boston Herald excerpt discusses Professor Mearsterverg of Harvard and his reliance on storytelling in abstract demonstrations. It recounts a medieval fakir who claimed to sell a magic pot that could turn stones into an eagle with patience and a hippo in a ritual, a scam where buyers never demanded refunds.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mearsterverg
Harvard
Tle
Eoe
Bston Herald
Theater Audiences Across Seating Tiers in 19th Century Pricing
The New York Herald notes theater crowds follow a fixed order of admission by seat price and location. Front orchestra and box seats fill last, while the cheapest back row survives until doors open, with pricier seats entering near curtain rise.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York Herald
Begin Versus Commence in Everyday Usage
Elizabeth A. Withey argues in Ladies' Home Journal that begin is preferred to commence for everyday writing. She cites simplicity as the strength of begin and notes commence sounds fancier, yet less strong, due to associations with pretentious prose.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Nto
Elizabeth A. Withey
Ladies’ Home Journal
Easy Figuring from Bank Cashier Theft Joke
A Philadelphia Press cartoon caption depicts a bank president asking about a cashier’s missing amount and noting they could tell by counting what remained. The exchange humorously highlights quick discovery of the loss.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Ascom
Philadelphia Press
International Inquiry on Elevator Tart Pronunciations
A Washington Star snippet captures a playful exchange as a young woman asks why English speakers say lift and elevator and tart and apple. The young man, who has come to marry, replies with a humorous, self-aware admission about pronunciation.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Washington Star
Sea Bove Plot Spoof Steams Through Submarine Boat
In a playful exchange, Henry asks about the sea plot and a storm hit voyage. The line twists the notion of a sinking boat by revealing the vessel is a submarine. The Philadelphia Record captures the humorous quip from a conversation about nautical fiction.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Philadelphia
Always Discontented and the Marriage Bureau
A witty remark contrasts perpetual discontent with the role of marriage bureaus and divorce courts, noting how longing for what one lacks drives both relationships and separations. The quote implies ongoing dissatisfaction fuels modern romantic upheavals.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chicagco Post
Blunders in fiction highlight moonlight errors and astronomy
A London Standard critique surveys frequent misuses of astronomy in literature from Hall Caine to Rider Haggard and Dickens. It notes the recurring mistake of placing the young moon and crescent moon in incorrect positions, with examples from Our Mutual Friend and King Solomon's Mines.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Thali Caine
Dickens
Rider Maegord
Oldridge
Mr Hall Caine
Hull Caine
Io Dickens
Eugene Wrayburn
Thia
Rider Haggard
King Solomon's Mines
Coleridge
Seaman
John Moore
Coruna
Mark Twain
Atlantic
London
Standard
Fragmented Dialogue About Regret and Happiness
A murky line of speech questions happiness and regret with unclear speakers. The text presents fragmented phrases and nonstandard spellings, suggesting a rough transcription or overheard conversation. The piece hints at personal conflict and unresolved emotions without clear names or context.
Tale of Nogales border tale told by Detroit Free Press
A Detroit Free Press columnist recounts a tale from Nogales on the Mexico United States border. An American drinker wanders across the line, angering locals, and is restrained by Mexican police after a nighttime stumble over the boundary. The piece uses humorous tone to describe cross border life and drinking culture.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Nogales
Mexico
Ariz
Oa Vialt
Mexitco
Erlea
Tia
Ude
Bia
Detroit
Long Range Baptism by River in Scotland Tale
In a rugged Scottish district a baptism occurs across a swollen stream. A minister tries to sprinkle water from a distance as the parents distant from the manse cross the rushing bouru leavys. The infant is splashed. ceremony completes. A farmer then tosses a whiskey bottle across the stream, narrowly caught by the clergyman as a curious postscript.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Scotland
Ulm
Bouru
Leavys Ralus
Taa Bael
Laura
Winister
Notable Handwriting of Canon Carter of Clewer
A London Tit-Bita item recalls 19th century church life. Canon Carter of Clewer, famed for his legible or rather illegible script, was jokingly dubbed a tartar for his tough to decipher handwriting. The incident involved the bishop of Lichfield, Dr Maclaran, who mocked an anonymous abusive letter signed A Tartar.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Caozica
Church of England
Canan Garter
Ile
Dean Stanley
Lichfield
Dr Maclaran
Canon Carter of
Clewer
London
Lies of the White Kind
A Washington Times commentary argues polite untruths weave social life, easing pain and smoothing awkward facts. It calls such lies pleasant fictions that lubricate society, removing sting and rough edges, likening them to courtesy’s pineapple perfume.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Washington Times
The Dest Lifter Recalled in Quip from Philadelphia Record
A playful exchange recalls a son who never lifted clubs but lifted the mortgage instead. The dialogue contrasts two brothers, one celebrated for athletic lifting and the other for financial burdens, in a Philadelphia Record quip.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Hiram
Silac
Silas
Philadelphia Record
Quotations on effort and mischief from Irving and the Post
A compact collection of two aphorisms noting human limits in virtue and mischief. Washington Irving suggests even the best efforts yield only moderate good, while the Saturday Evening Post observes that the person tending the fire may miss their turn at the heat.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Washington Irving
Unexpected Erudition at a Restarunt Visit
A misread encounter features an abjectly minded linguistics professor entering a restaurant and ordering fried eggs. The waiter asks about preparation, the professor misunderstands, and the dish is served extra well done in a muddled exchange.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Luci
Tila
Too Much For the Fule and Pocket Compasses Tale
A Philadelphia youth claims music repels flies with waves from a shell while imperial Wagner is praised as a cure for insect pests. The piece then shifts to pocket compasses sold widely, detailing sizes, bearing quality, cost from 25 cents to 10 dollars, and longevity. It notes value of materials and that a ten dollar compass may feature a pearl face and agate bearing.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Philadelphia
4 Park
Wagner
Imperial Wagner
Hanters
New York Sun
Willing Marttyr Pup Polishes Pie Mystery
A Withington family tale recalls a mother discovering a missing cherry pie. Johnny confesses he ate it to learn how many stones are in a pie, claiming there are 142, a quip tied to a teacher’s math query from Youth's Companion.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Marttyr
Johnny
Father's Idea of Shoes and Discretion Quips
A humorous exchange notes a child spelling shoes and a quip that shoes drive a family into bankruptcy. A captain recalls carrying life preservers as protection while facing danger, highlighting lighthearted contrasts across two cartoons or anecdotes from Chicago Post and Catholic Standard and Times.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Chicago Post
Figure It Out From a Quote in The Times
The fragment cites an observation about a human cart lifting 120 tons one foot high every day and questions if a person can lift 10,000 pounds per hour, reflecting a Times discussion on human strength and machine comparison.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York Times
Roasted corn tale sparks odd restaurant banter
A Cleveland Plain Dealer correspondent shares a friend’s Texas dining tale about an appetite for roasted corn. The anecdote ends with a witty quip from a fellow diner, suggesting boarding at a livery stable to save money.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Washington
Cleveland Plain Dealer
Texas
Thm
Pard
Fortified Lighthouse at Cormosa South Cape
Fortification described for a lighthouse at the south cape of Cormosa includes a cast iron tower with a machine gun on the gallery, steel screens, a wrought iron refuge, bullet proof passages, and siege provisions. A dry ditch, loophole wall, two small caponiers, and eighteen pounder cannon reinforce the defense along with water tanks and provision stocks.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Cape
Cormosa
Ulaldutin Brigands in Balkan Legend and History
In the sixteenth century Balkan mountains housed brigand bands named Ulaldutin who rose as popular protectors of the poor and foes of the Turks. Legends depict them as avengers and defenders of Christians, though their turn toward violence compromised safety and brought them into conflict with Ottoman rulers. Villagers sometimes welcomed their resistance as deliverance.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Balkan Mountains
Turkey
Ulaldutin
Leslie
Short of Experience in Leeds Suffrage Meeting
Herbert Gladstone, then a bachelor, complimented the eloquence of the women speaking at a Leeds suffrage meeting. He praised the pleasure others gain from listening to women. A male voice from the back, in broad Yorkshire dialect, cut in with the quip Eh lad thou'rt noo wed set I see'st.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Herbert Gladstone
Leeds
Gladstove
Yorkshire
London
London Street Nemes and Nearby Lanes Recalled by Names
A fragmentary note traces historic street names around Cannon Street and Duke’s Moot Lane. It links Golden Ryuste Woe to Loudun and explains Candlewick Street’s link to candles, while mentioning Frocks Foot Lane and festers once seen on Futter Lane in the city.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London
Loudun
A& Cor
Idling Square
Futter Lane
Realis Gutheron
Cannon Street
Suffolk
Annon Street
Candlewick Street
Origin of Parchment and Vellum Inventions
The article explains parchment origin when Egyptians halted papyrus supplies, leading Pergamos in Asia Minor to adopt sheepskin called pergamona. It notes vellum from calfskin used by monks in the Middle Ages for manuscript copies, often taking care to complete a single book.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Perganos
Asia Minor
Pergamona
No Danger Coal Deal Prompted Insurance Advice
An exchange in London features a coal merchant seeking a policy for £1,007 and an insurance agent warning about the coal. The agent questions the coal type and quips that it won’t burp, implying risk or impracticality in insuring the ore. The dialogue captures a cautious, ironic tone on insurance of hazardous goods.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Yves
London
Notable Train Connections Between Cleveland and Cincinnati
Train schedule fragment shows Parlor Car service between Cleveland and Cincinnati with connections at Columbus Union Station. It lists departure times from Columbus and successive links via Hudson, Cleve land, Pittsburgh, Orrville, Fort Wayne, and Wheeling. The garbled text notes daily and Sunday services, with various destinations including Bellaire and Newark, along with multiple routing options and times.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Trina
Feveland
Cincinnati
Jumbua
Esaiad
Sraliedy
Calumbus Union Station
Columbus Union Station
Hudson
Cleveland & Piilsburg
Fur Alliance
Vettsburgl
East
Gy Oben
Wollayithe
Stevie A Ville
Bellaire
Orrville
Fort Weavne Hoate
Fornail
Athence
Pittaturgh
Graten Sad Alliance
Lrave
Columbus
Pane Monde Monte
Ioganspert Ant Chienge
Newark
Pittsburgh
Fo Devilvan
Dark Yue Feure
Tae Light Fey
Sandayeasy
Paws
Also Mentioned on This Page
Irving
Mexi Tcan Boundary Line
Saturday Evening Post
Iler
Wet
Woouter
Ohio
Herald
KFIVE
Pittab'gh
Fuwvayne
Pennsylvania
Westware Pittstrch
Vecie Batheohana
Ana Santen
Seein Alliance
Maine
He Creative
Ryesreetsen
Chicago i
Chicago
Oak Bon Beth
Cera
Tasywab
Trav Nica
WAYNE
Jae
Raed
Mer
Millersburg
Arroo
IM AM
Zanesville
Reim
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