Whimsical items from a quirky era headline style
A mosaic of oddities from a 20th century column featuring comic observations on strawberries that don’t taste right to New York city planning, taxicab price shifts, royal fashions, a baby born on Fifth Avenue, and playful quips about editors professors and social norms, all tied by a satirical voice. It mentions Luther Burbank strawberries, Queen Mary, Ireland census rumors, and a Harvard professor on Gray’s Elegy. The piece blends social notes with humorous asides about everyday life and culture. It reads like a rapid-fire, period-voiced miscellany.
Insane Man Revealed as Wealthy Manufacturer in Richmond
Ralph A. Clarke of Brooklyn vanished from a madhouse fire five years earlier and was mourned as dead until Justice Blackmar of Brooklyn’s Supreme Court ruled on April 14 that Clarke and B. R. Benton of Richmond are the same person. The decision wiped the insanity stain and restored $27,737 in trust to Clarke. The tale, written for the New York Sunday World, traces his dual identities.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
York
Ralph A. Clarke
Brooklyn
N. Y
Richmond
KR. Benton
Blackmar
Supreme Court
B. R. Benton
Clarke
B. R Benton
New York Sunday World
Klondike
Tonopah
Nevada
New York
No. 20
Broadway
Hamilton Trust Company
Raleleh Be Tel Om
Simes
Bernard J. York
Justice Blackmar
R. Benton
Clarke’s Double Life Returns in Search of a Quiet Name
Ralph A. Clarke tells how he vanished under the alias B. R. Benton after being committed to a sanitarium in 1906. He rose to wealth in New York, roamed as Benton, then rebuilt a life in Richmond, revealing his identity after Rowland J. Simes uncovered him. He seeks to resolve the chaos of two names and a recovered $27,727.
Remarkable Bladder Surgery Mentioned in Letter
A letter from H W Spinks of Camp Hill Alabama dated August 16 1900 praises Dr Kilmer Swamp Root for bladder and kidney trouble relief. Notarized testimony by A B Lee notes Spinks recovery and urges readers to request information and buy Kilmer products at drugstores.
Getting Acquainted Between Neighbors
A short comic exchange shows a new family moving in next door. Two boys on the fence trade mock questions and insults, escalate briefly, then settle into friendship within five minutes. The scene captures a playful neighborhood introduction and the thawing of initial sass.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Tye
Untaured Hero: Rural Carrier Saves Mail Amid Wood Fire
Fall River Herald reports Seth A. Eaton a rural mail carrier from Middleboro who, amid a woodland blaze, buried his mail in sand to save it before escaping through flames his hair singed his hat burned and his horse fallen.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Hall of Fame
Seth A. Eaton
Middleboro
Fall River Herald
What Was She Wearing What She Wore In The Fire
A fireman recalls arriving at a blaze at midnight at the Von Biffers house on the avenue. Miss Von Biffer ran from the flames with her tiny niece wrapped in her arms, a brave act the witness called the bravest he ever saw.
Castoria Safe Remedy Advice and Irreverent Q&A
Examines Bottles of Castoria with signature claiming over years of use. Children cry for Fletcher's Castoria. A quip asks if Welsh rab bites are unhealthy, and a joke about a husband not knowing his wife’s dress color ends the fragment.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Fletcher
The Truth About Bluing Talk No 7
A fragmented comic dialogue about domestic life and misfired expectations. Characters discuss a family dog sensing trouble and girls preparing costumes for a Shakespeare ball while fearing a public dispute may erupt.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Rosalind
Cellat
The Unattainable Bachelor and Book Agent Exchange
The dialogue presents a humorous churn of modern trades and social asks. Tam questions marriage funds while a couple of book agents negotiate an order and a product pitch. The snippet pairs domestic concerns with consumer shouts about starch and Garfield Tea claims.
Also Mentioned on This Page
Kansas
Givler
Wakeenet
Ranga
Luther Burbank
Fifth Avenue
Itan
Leghorney
Austria
Ireland
Peerish
Boston
Arrhenius
Harvard
Gray
America
Washburn Law School
Topeka
Kan
Wanap
Philadelphia
New Jersey
Rowland J. Simes
Brownsille
Jefferson County
H. L. Judd
Brass Novelty Manufactur
Chambers Street
The
Elks
Ma- Store
Tos
Rew Forkshop
Mfe
Knolls
Jersey
Trenton
Perryvile
Bose
American Locomotive Works
Tme
Columbia Shoe Company
Smith & Hemenway
Middle West
South
Parker Chemical Company
Chicago
W. H. Parker
Ferguson
State Board of Health
Chemical Supply Company
Dr. Parker
Nannie Proffitt
East Cary Street
Washington
E. H. Swein
Second Baptist Church
Will Ketcham
Ralph Clarke
Strumpf’s
A. B. Lee
Notary Public
Dr. Kilmer & Conton
Bluing
Tam
Puck
Garfield Tea
Hostetter
Lewis Single
Stanget Ehscigar
Cigara
Lewis Peorts
California
FICS
Elinir
California Fig Syrup CO
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!