Curious miscellany from distant lands and local oddities
Notes on Bert Ler’s Chinese feature children in Sewickley Pennsylvania. Includes strange tales of Russian peasants punishment by reeds, a Munchausen boy in Plymouth, Alabama stone eating tragedy, a bear in a Russian village, a kiss case in Totness England, and a London Hair Dressers Academy. Also reports a mad Chicago dog, Zanzibar cannibalism, Seminole skin and knife relics, a Crimea coin find, a Maine train feat, counterfeit Hancock misprint, a Vladivostok prince hanged, and Shipley urn with ancient coins.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Bert Ler
Sewickley
Pittsburg
Penn
Rocky Mountains
Lee
Ida Newman
Providence
R. I
Bert
R. L
Viestnik
Vilna
Disna
Reeds Put to Many Uses in Altiplano Marshes
The Bolivian shore of Lake Titicaca hosts reed beds of tortera used for walls, roofs, chairs, beds, baskets, boats, bridges, and fuel. Cattle feed here year round, and the Desaguadero River bridge once relied on reeds. Wildlife such as black and scarlet ducks and snipe thrive in the marshes, supporting locals where corn fails and potatoes shrink.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Lake Titicaca
Chililaya
Desaguadero
Peru
Bolivia
Washington
Obesity Diet From London Expert Sees World Fame
A renowned woman physician argues a strict diet plan for obesity, detailing meals without butter or gravy and a fruit-based dessert. She notes variations for gout or kidney issues, recommending beef and hot water fasting if needed, with rapid initial weight loss for newcomers.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London
New York
England
Mme. Blavatsky
New York World
Christian Wars and Their Causes An 19th Century Study
Professor Leoni Levi estimates 286 great wars since the Christian era. The study classifies causes into ambition 44. plunder 22. retaliation or revenue 24. honor or prerogative 6. disputed territory 41. disputed crowns 30. aiding an ally 23. jealousy of rival greatness 5. commerce 55. civil wars 55. and religion including crusades 28.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Leoni Levi
Chinese Prison Cages in Shanghai Described by Journal
The New York Journal reports on Shanghai where a mandarin’s court displays a large cage with half a dozen prisoners chained by neck or ankle. Some men wear heavy cuffs and neck rings while others are tethered in cages. A wooden cangue lacks wrist holes, and several bulky cages appear nearby.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Shanghai
China
New York Journal
Biggest of Them Ail Crain Elevator at Minneapolis Junction Shown
The Minneapolis Junction crane elevator is claimed as the largest in the world. It stands 336 feet long 02 feet wide and 175 feet high. Builders used over 6 500 000 feet of lumber and thirty two carloads of nails. Its engine can handle 175 600 to 200 000 bushels daily, enough yearly to equal Minnesota and the Dakotas combined. About 250 cars are loaded in ten hours.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Crain
Minneapolis Junction
Minnesota
Dakotas
New York
Miller
Crafty Chinamen Use Water and Land Routes for Smuggling
The article describes two main escape routes for Chinamen and opium into the United States via Vancouver and Victoria. Smugglers use sloop vessels to cross Puget Sound at night, hide on shorelines, and transfer men to inland trails through British Columbia toward Seattle and Minnesota. Revenue cutters like the Walcott are outpaced by these routes, with guides and hideouts throughout to evade authorities.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
United States
Pry Sound
Vancouver
Victoria
Puget Sound
British Columbia
Canadian Pacific Railway
Dominion of Canad
China
United State
Sound
Vancouver Island
Straits of
San Juan de Fuca
Pacific Ocean
Walcott
Westminster
Britih Columbia
New York Crooks Attempt to Enter a Casino
A garbled OCR item hints at a crime in New York involving a man and an attempt at a casino or gaming event. Details are unclear but imply deception to obtain money and entry, with mention of a table game and a risk or stake.
Fragmentary note on ancient elephants and a temper dispute
A garbled OCR fragment mentions mammoths and elephants with a tense descriptor. Names, places, or dates are unreadable, leaving only a vague reference to a temper issue and a distant geographic hint. The text lacks clear events or identities.
Also Mentioned on This Page
Plymouth
Binghamton
N. Y
Mercury
Falmouth
Alabama
Coosa County
Thomas Waits
Williamson
Verbena
South and North Alabama
Watts
Robert Heard
Totness
Robert
Hair Dressers’ Academy
Chicago
Zanzibar
Africa
Iord
Walter Langford
Jacksonville
Fla
Langford
Everglades
Henry Clay
John Dobbin
Tepetermene
Crimea
Antiochus
Syria
Great Works
Maine
John Surrey
Shipley
Cnadian Pacific
Cal Ta
Montana
Canadian Pacific
Ingesota
St. Paul
York Crooks
Perate Toa de A
Lon
Wen
Sammoths
Ang
Mse
Ane
Coe
Drell
Bette
Stindi
A. Ee
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!