How Unwary Are Fleeced in Fake Auction Shops
A veteran recalls Chicago's thirty year old fake auction shops where pawnbroker-like crowds bid up worthless wares. A sobbing man pleads for work and funds to care for a fevered wife and sick child as a grandfather's watch is sold for five dollars to strangers amid staged pity. The tale ends with the auctioneer and his “stool pigeons” profiting from the ruse while real bidders are exploited.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Joseph Jefferson
Chiago
England
Jose
Ellen
Lord Kitchener Endorses Celibacy For Soldiers
Lord Kitchener defended the idea that soldiers should remain unmarried to spare officers wives anguish. He told a serving officer’s wife that marriage could be inappropriate. When she pressed him, he replied gently that he would reconsider his stance for one case only.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Kitchener
Lord Kitchener
Place to Tell Their Troubles Cavorts with Remedies
A clever Londoner traveling the world notes that nearly every Englishman has aches and pains and offers prizes for new symptoms or remedies for old ones. The piece mocks the bonanza of cures while urging faith that God fills the heart that will be emptied.
Quagga Extinction in Cape Colony Described by Knowledge Reference
The quagga a zebra like antelope became extinct in Cape Colony around 1865 with the last survivor dying in London Zoo in 1872. R Lydekker notes its limited distribution from Cape Colony up the eastern Africa, and its close association with the white tailed fu. The quagga’s flesh was famed for flavor and fat while Dutch and Hofmeyr groups fed on it in early Cape Colony days.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
South Africa
Cape
Colony
London Zoological Garden
R. Lydekker
Knowledge
London
Cape Colony
Africa
Vaal River
Orange River Colony
Ministerial tales spark two stories at Witherspoon hall
The Rev Dr Parkin told two 500 word stories before the Ministerial Union. One about a young coal region minister with speech impediment who seeks cure in Philadelphia speak-easies. The other features a neglected business-minded pastor who indorses a $15 check with a quip about indorsement, amid literary verse quoted from Wind and Sea.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Parkin
Witherspoon Hall
Philadelphia Telegraph
Philadelphia
Bret Harte and the unseen observer reminiscence
In reminiscences Mary Stuart Boyd notes Bret Harte never flaunted his persona preferring work over self. A smart society matron laments not recognizing him at a dinner prompting the author to comment on social misperceptions.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Bret Harte
Mary Stuart Boyd
Neleabor
Beauty of Women's Feet and the Shapes of Graceful Feet
A historical piece discusses the aesthetic value of women's feet, arguing larger, well-formed feet harmonize with the figure. It cites Greek and Roman ideals, literary mentions from Homer to Petrarch, and notes on the preferred foot anatomy such as high instep and long toes. The piece also mentions Mme Recamier and the cultural fixation on feet as symbols of beauty.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Juno
Thetis
Paris
Mme. Recamier
Notable Beauty Photographed in Many Shoes and Casts
A celebrated woman of the current era is famed for her beauty and pride in appearances. She is photographed in twenty styles, including slippers, sabots, skates, Louis Quinze footwear, and both Japanese and Russian shoes, with numerous plaster casts displaying her form.
Adventurous Rise of France's Finance Minister M Rouvier
The piece chronicles M Rouvier, France's finance minister, tracing an unlikely path from a book agent and drum merchant to a key cabinet figure. It notes his extensive experience in Levantine and Mediterranean trade hubs and his recognized expertise in finance along with notable enemies and broad respect as a treasury head.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
M. Rouvier
Paris
M. Delease
Zaftopoulo
Marseilles
France
Morgan Disposes of Pestering Visitor in Plain Style
A determined man sought an audience with financier J P Morgan in New York. Morgan told the man he was busy, then, after a prompt reply to a letter from Gen. Blank of St Louis, Morgan explained the general had wired the letter to get rid of him. Morgan then returned to his private office, leaving the visitor dazed.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Morgan
Pierpont Morgan
New York
Mr. Morgan
Gen. Blank
St. Louis
Electric railway near Naples observatory sparks conflict
Cook seeks an electric line from the Naples naval arsenal to Mount Vesuvius drawing pushback from the University of Naples which fears disruption to solar, magnetic, and electrical observations. About 60,000 visitors go to Vesuvius crater annually, while London faces rising urban bird activity and a surge in city pigeons per The Field.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Proteat
Cook
Naval Arsenal
Naples
Mount Vesuvius
University of Naples
Arc
University
Crater
Vesuvius
London
Metropolis
Westminster
Largest American Land Holder States
Reading notes claim a firm holds 35 000 acres in Missouri and 15 000 acres in Arkansas. The text adds a stray line about a true wife preferring passion to pastime, likely unrelated to land holdings.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mizsour
Arkansas
Jaipur the Coral City of India and Its Royal Showcase
A vivid portrait of Jaipur, capital of Rajputana’s Jaipur state, hailed as India’s most exquisite show place. The piece notes its commerce, crafts, bird life, and sunrise sunset colors, praising the Hawa Mahal and Maharajah’s palace, college, and museum, while mentioning a menagerie with man-eating tigers.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
India
Jaipur
Punjab
Rajputana
In-dia
Eewin Arnold
Maharajah's College
Column of Steam Over Etna From Sicily Cyclone
A steam plume rose from Mount Etna during a Sicily cyclone, suggesting pressure drop lifts steam and gases from the crater. The write up notes atmospheric pressure falls could drive volcanic venting, comparing effects to coal mine outbursts and citing typical sea level readings.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Etna
Sicily
Mount Etna
Ordnary
London Telegraph
Childish Sayings From a Bygone Era
An English writer recalls child speech about Henry VIII as a professional widower and notes amusing lines from six year old impressions of India. A boy claims to be "almost new" after two birthdays and requests water for a walk, while another asks about walking lessons with playful mispronunciations.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Henry VIII
England
India
Zaventem
Also Mentioned on This Page
Chicago
Depe
Glen
Theo
Bayard
Taster
Etta H. Bolton
Mobile
Ala
United States
Tommy
Solomon
Judith
Petrarch
Laura
Dryden
Queen of Love
Ben Jonson
Cam!Yar
Butler
Dtlers
Erererisoc
This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!