Beards, Snuff and the English Bar.

1895

Forty years ago an Old Bailey practitioner who wore a beard was summoned to attend a meeting of the bar and charged with "violating the honorable traditions of the profession." He sought acquittal on the ground that a serious affection of the throat compelled his transgression of the unwritten ordinances of the bar, but his judges declined to accept his defense and sent him to Coventry. Times, The Law Journal, points out, have changed now. "Half of the ordinary members of the court of appeals now wear beards, Lord Justice Lopes, Lord Justice Rigby and now Lord Justice Kay having departed from the traditions of the bench. The only other judges who wear beards are Lord Watson and Sir Francis Jeune."

Another terrible instance of departure from ancient precedent was deplored last night by the lord chief justice in his amusing speech to the Hardwicke society. The "eminently judicial" habit of taking snuff was, he regretted to say, falling into almost complete desuetude. He remembered Sir James Bacon telling him on one occasion that when he was a junior there was not a single man in the court, from the judge on the bench to the usher, who did not carry a snuffbox, and he ended by saying, "Here I am, the only man left with a snuffbox." And now the only man left is the chief himself, but all that one man can do he does. — Westminster Gazette.

Sir Henry Layard.

1895

The late Sir Henry Layard was a man to whose abilities, achievements and personal qualities but scant justice was done in the obituary notices which appeared at the time of his death.

He did not "wear his heart upon his sleeve," and those who had only a slight acquaintance with him may perhaps be excused for not perceiving the stanch and genuine kindness of that heart — a kindness which none of his friends could fail to experience, but his achievements and his career are written large in the history of the nineteenth century, and the impetus which his researches and discoveries gave to the study of archaeology — to say nothing of the inestimable value of the light they throw on the Old Testament narrative — will never be forgotten or underrated by those whose opinions on such subjects is worth having. Sir Henry Layard's later years were chiefly devoted to historical, archaeological and artistic research, and during his residence in Venice, where he spent a considerable part of every year, he came to be regarded almost as an unaccredited representative of his country in that city. — John Murray in Good Words.

Where Love Is Secondary.

1895

A conspicuous difference between the English and Chinese dramas is explained by the fact that, whereas in the former love holds a leading part, in the latter it is relegated to a secondary place. In England it is a passion, in China a sentiment only; hence the thousand intrigues love gives rise to are, in the latter country, either thrown into the shade or tabooed entirely. Without their ardent passions many of our theatrical productions would lose their interest and most of their merit. An English, or, to use a wider term, a European playgoer, requires a due quantum of love.

In China, on the other hand, this demand finds little echo, since love there is not the chief theme of bard and painter. Convention and the strength of parental authority have crushed in a great measure those amorous longings which exist in the human heart, and as love, courtship and matrimony are even more prosaic in the far east than in our part of the world the first of these feelings, if handled as a passion, cannot powerfully arrest the attention of the multitude. — Nineteenth Century.

The Deep Breath Habit.

1895

Cultivate the habit of breathing through the nose and taking deep breaths. If this habit was universal, there is little doubt that pulmonary affections would be decreased one-half. An English physician calls attention to the fact that deep and forced respiration will keep the entire body in a glow in the coldest weather, no matter how thinly one may be clad. He was himself half frozen to death one night and began taking deep breaths and keeping the air in his lungs as long as possible. The result was that he was thoroughly comfortable in a few minutes. The deep respirations, he says, stimulate the blood currents by direct muscular exertion and cause the entire system to become pervaded with the rapidly generated heat. — Philadelphia Times.

Ownership of Farms.

1895

The statistics show that Ohio has the largest number of farms of any state in the Union, 256,264; Illinois comes second, 252,953; then Missouri, 250,832; Texas, 248,782; New York, 226,632; Pennsylvania, 211,472; Iowa, 205,435; Indiana, 205,331. No other state has more than 200,000. The percentage of ownership in farms is largest in the north and west, as is the percentage of homes also.


Like Some Shoes.

"They say that the paving brick is only 8 inches long."
"I always knew that it was under the foot." — Syracuse Post.

TROLLOPE'S RAPID WRITING.

1895

His Work Produced With Astonishing Speed Regardless of His Surroundings.

I remember a characteristic discussion about their mode of writing between Trollope and George Eliot at a little dinner party at her house.

"Why," said Anthony, "I sit down every morning at 5:30, with my watch on my desk, and for three hours I regularly produce 250 words every quarter of an hour."

George Eliot positively quivered with horror at the thought — she who could write only when she felt in the vein, who wrote, rewrote and destroyed her manuscript two or three times, and as often as not sat at her table without writing at all.

"There are days and days together," she groaned out, "when I cannot write a line."

"Yes," said Trollope, "with imaginative work like yours that is quite natural, but with my mechanical stuff it's a sheer matter of industry. It's not the head that does it. It's the cobbler's wax on the seat and the sticking to my chair."

In his "Autobiography" he has elaborately explained this process — how he wrote day by day, including Sundays, whatever his duties, his amusements or the place, measuring out every page, counting the words and exacting the given quantity hour by hour. He wrote continuously 2,500 words in each day and at times more than 25,000 words in a week. He wrote while engaged in severe professional drudgery, while hunting thrice a week and in the whirl of London society. He wrote in railway trains, on a sea voyage and in a town clubroom. Whether he was on a journey, or pressed with office reports, or visiting friends, he wrote just the same. — Frederick Harrison in Forum.

HORSE TORTURE.

1895

Slitting the Nostrils Still Practiced In Some Parts of the World.

Slitting a horse's nostrils is still practiced in some parts of the world, as in Persia, Mongolia and even in northern Africa, and ponies with slit nostrils are often seen in the Himalayas and in Afghanistan. This mutilation is resorted to in the erroneous belief that the horse can inhale more air when going at a fast pace, and also that it prevents neighing, a disqualification of much importance during war, or when it is desirable to travel as silently as possible. It was practiced in Hungary not long ago, if we are to accept as evidence the copy of a finished sketch of a horse's head, by the celebrated Zoffani, given in Colonel Hamilton's work on horses. It is rather surprising that the fashion was not renewed in England, for two or three centuries ago, to prevent a horse neighing, it was recommended to tie a woolen band around the tongue. Markham says:

"If either when you are in service in the wars and would not be discovered, or when upon any other occasion you would not have your horse to neigh or make a noise, you shall take a lyste (band) of woolen cloth and tye it fast in many folds about the middle of your horse's tongue, and believe it, so long as the tongue is so tyed, so long the horse can by no means neigh or make any extraordinary noise with his voice, as hath often been tried and approved of."

A very barbarous and useless operation for the prevention of stumbling in horses was fashionable toward the end of the seventeenth and beginning of the eighteenth centuries. This was the exposure of the tendon of a muscle that assists in dilating the nostrils and twisting it round two or three times, when it was divided. "In doing this you shall see the horse bring his hinder legs to his fore legs almost, when you have thus pulled and turned the sinew two or three times." Such a statement will give some idea of the pain the animal experienced during the senseless operation. — Nineteenth Century.

A Wonder of Relationship.

1895

In an old scrapbook which contains a number of clippings without date I find the following: "William Harman, who committed suicide at Titusville, Pa., a short time since, did so because some one had convinced him that he was his own grandfather! Here is a copy of the singular letter he left: 'I married a widow who had a grownup daughter. My father visited us often, fell in love with my stepdaughter and married her. Thus he became my son-in-law, and my stepdaughter became my mother, because she was my father's wife. Soon after this my wife gave birth to a son, which, of course, was my father's brother-in-law, and my uncle, for he was the brother of my stepmother. My father's wife also became the mother of a son. He was, of course, my brother, and also my grandchild, for he was the son of my daughter. Accordingly my wife was my grandmother, because she was may mother's mother. I was my wife's husband and grandchild at one and the same time. And, as the husband of a person's grandmother is his grandfather, I was my own grandfather!" Was it any wonder that the poor man rid himself of such tangled relationship? — St. Louis Republic.

The Still, Small Voice.

1895

The mother and grandmother of small Susan were "talking her over," and in small Susan's presence. "Have you taught her anything yet about the still, small voice?" asked the grandmother. "No," replied the mother, "she is too young. I'll teach her about the still, small voice when she's able to understand it." A day or two after this small Susan's mother heard the most dreadful howls and yells coming from the nursery. Rushing there she found small Susan prone upon the floor.

"What is the matter, my darling?" cried the affrighted mother. Whereat small Susan picked herself up deliberately and replied, serenely enough, "That, mamma, is the still, small voice." — New York Sun.

Ismail and Ferry.

1895

On one occasion, the late Ismail Pasha was advised by Jules Ferry, the prime minister, to visit London in order to enlist the support of the British government in his scheme to oust his son Tewfik at Cairo. He showed a new high hat to a friend, with the remark: "Ferry says I should not go to London in a fez; it's too oriental. He recommended me to his hatter, and the pig has charged me 40 francs for this thing. I suspect Ferry has a commission on it."


Intimation.

"So the insolent fellow refused to pay his rent?"
"He did not say so in words, but he intimated it."
"How so?"
"He kicked me down stairs." — Figaro.


Trivia

The angelica plant is native to Europe. It grows wild in most of the northern parts of that continent, being also found in the Alps, the Carpathian and the Ural mountains.

By distilling it at a very high heat wood may be made to yield a good article of gas.

Reward for Stolen Clothing.

New York, 1895

John Quincy Adams, of Riverhead, whose daughters, Nettie and Sadie, aged 19 and 16, respectively, had their clothes stolen while bathing at Wildwood lake, posted the following notice:

$100 reward is offered for evidence that will lead to the arrest and conviction of the party who stole clothing belonging to my children while in bathing at the great pond, Riverhead, June 1895. JOHN Q. ADAMS.

The theft is believed to have been the work of a practical joker. The clothes have not been recovered.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, July 5, 1895, p. 1.

Upset the Dinner Table.

New York, 1895

James Hall, of Flushing, invited Michael Edwards, a neighbor, to his house Sunday morning to play cards. Several pints of ale were disposed of. Edwards accused Hall of cheating. Hall put Edwards out and then sat down to read. In a few minutes Edwards returned and commenced throwing stones through Hall's windows. Hall escaped, and Edwards entered the house, found the table set for dinner, took hold of the end of the cloth and pulled all the dishes and dinner off on the floor.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, July 5, 1895, p. 1.

MAY BE A MURDER.

New York, 1895

Poles and Germans Fight and Two Get Stabbed.

A stabbing affray occurred at Flushing at an early hour Monday morning in which one man was seriously injured and another wounded so badly that his life is despaired of. One of them is lying in the Flushing hospital, and he may die. A number of Poles, who are employed on various farms at Blackstump, on the Jamaica road, Monday decided to have a picnic among themselves. They bought a keg of beer and repaired to the residence of Joseph Czeeski, where they drained its contents and became hilariously drunk.

At about 11 o'clock Monday night two Germans and a Pole intruded and tried to break up the festivities. When ordered off the premises they refused to go and a fight ensued. Joseph Buschofski, one of the picnicers, was stabbed in the left shoulder and it is believed that the knife penetrated the man's lungs. Another Pole named Tommasso Stofflaski was cut in the back.

Coroner Corey took the wounded man's ante mortem statement. Captain Allen and Constable Slavin arrested five Poles on the suspicion of being implicated in the affair. They were taken to the hospital to be identified by the injured man and he named Felix Bushnoski as the man who stabbed him.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, July 5, 1895, p. 1.

THE BODGES IN COURT.

New York, 1895

No Refusal on the Part of the Husband to Support His Wife.

Yesterday Judge Hendrickson, of Jamaica, heard testimony in the case of the people against John J. Bodge, of Dunton, who is charged by his wife with failing to support her. Mrs. Bodge came to court attended by Mrs. Benemiller, who seems to exercise an hypnotic influence over her. Counselors Stanford of Jamaica and Mahoney of Brooklyn appeared for the wife, and Counselor Fleming appeared for Mr. Bodge, who is a very gentlemanly looking person.

Mrs. Bodge was a widow with one child when she met Mr. Bodge. They were married in December, 1893, and Mrs. Bodge left him in June, 1894, and has since been living with Mrs. Benemiller. Before action was brought for abandonment, Mr. Fleming sent a letter to Mrs. Bodge's attorney in answer to one from him, and this letter constituted part of Mrs. Bodge's cross examination.

She said she received Mr. Fleming's letter and remembered its contents. The letter, she said, stated that Mr. Bodge would not support her, as she had left his home without provocation. The letter itself is as follows:

JAMAICA, N. Y., June 8th, 1895.

Peter Mahoney, Esq.:

DEAR SIR — Your letter of June 5th to Mr. John J. Bodge has been handed to me by him, I appearing for him as attorney in the matters referred to in your communication. He instructs me to say that he has never refused or declined to maintain and support his wife, and that her withdrawal from her home is entirely voluntary upon her part and without justification. Yours truly.

JOHN FLEMING.

The case was going on in the afternoon when THE FARMER went to press.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, July 5, 1895, p. 1.

Fire at Hicksville.

New York, 1895

The cottage of the Rev. Henry Grandleinard at Hicksville caught fire Saturday night and was damaged $500. The family claim that the fire was started by rats and matches.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, July 5, 1895, p. 1.

A Seven Foot Adder.

New York, 1895

John G. Barker, a painter of Northport, went into his woodshed to secure his basket that he takes with him fishing, and was startled to find a large snake coiled up in the basket asleep. He killed the snake, which proved to be a flat-headed adder measuring seven feet long.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, July 5, 1895, p. 1.

Beer, but No Drinkers.

New York, 1895

New York's dry Sunday did not increase the usual crowd who seek pleasure and beer in Long Island Sunday resorts. The crowd was smaller Sunday than it has been for many Sundays. Few people went to Rockaway Beach, and there was a big falling off in the usual gathering at North Beach. Trains of empty cars were run on the Steinway electric hallway in Long Island City waiting for the rush of thirsty New Yorkers, who failed to appear. Every saloon in Long Island City was wide open.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, July 5, 1895, p. 1.

The First Train to Montauk.

New York, 1895

The first passenger train for Montauk passed over the new track across Napeague Beach Friday evening with President Corbin's son and a party bound for Montauk Point.

The last spike was driven at 6:45 o'clock Friday evening and a few minutes later an engine, drawing a special car, which had reached Amagansett attached to the 6 o'clock express, passed over the newly laid rails. William A. Hedges met the party at the Nominicks, the Indian name for the highlands, a few miles west of Fort Pond, where the terminal point is now located, and drove the party to Mr. Stratton's house. The track will be extended to Fort Pond bay during the summer.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, July 5, 1895, p. 1.

Graves Only Two Feet Deep.

New York, 1895

The town trustees of Flushing, who have been inquiring into the condition of the town cemetery have at last decided to put John Turner in charge. Mr. Turner was before the board and swore that he saw two dogs scampering about the cemetery. He watched them for a while and they commenced to dig. He saw them uncover a coffin, the lid of which had been broken, and eat the remains of a man who had been buried.

The coffin, Turner said, was only a few inches below the ground. Turner swore that he saw graves dug only two feet deep.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, July 5, 1895, p. 1.

Schwab with Burglars' Tools

New York, 1895

Newtown News Notes.

Karl Schwab has been held for the grand jury on a charge of having burglars' tools in his possession.

Justice Monteverde held John and William Beckman for the grand jury for carting garbage into the town.

The woman's Christian temperance union of Maspeth is about to erect a trough and drinking fountain at Flushing avenue and Grand street.

Judge Garretson has reversed the decision whereby five of the proprietors of places of amusement at Bowery Bay beach were adjudged guilty of violating Sunday laws. The arrests were made without warrants.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, July 5, 1895, p. 1.

Four-Year-Old Sets Fire to House

New York, 1895

News in Brief.

The Long Island railroad company has opened the new station called Edgemere between Far Rockaway and Arverne.

President Corbin of the Long Island railroad visited Montauk on Tuesday and inspected his recent purchase of 4,000 acres of land.

A 4 year old grandson of William T. Rider of East Rockaway set fire to the house Tuesday through playing with matches. The interior of the house was burned out.

The people living in the vicinity of Bowne's mills, near Flushing, have appealed to the state board of health to prevent the dumping of garbage and manure there.

A post office has been established at Washington Square, near Hempstead, under the name of Munson. Miss Daisy Stringham has been appointed postmistress.

Antonio Carrara, who was a staff officer to Garibaldi, died at the home of his brother-in law at College Point Saturday night, the result of an operation performed on his throat. He was a banker.

Two deaths from lockjaw occured in Flushing Wednesday. One was Mary Treadwell, infant of Samuel Treadwell, of Little Neck, and the other a daughter of Henry Zobel of Bayside.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, June 28, 1895, p. 2.

Was He from Baltimore?

New York, 1895

The body of a man was found floating in Flushing Creek Monday afternoon. It is so badly decomposed that it is unrecognizable and had evidently been in the water about six months. The body was in dark clothes of good material. In the pockets were found a match box with the name "J. G. McShane" engraved on it, and a business card with the name "R. Stuart Littlepage, with Henry McShane manufacturing company, Baltimore, Md."

Tuesday the remains were identified as those of R. S. Littlepage, a traveling salesman for the McShane company of Baltimore, who mysteriously disappeared February 5. He was last seen on the morning of that day on the deck of the steamboat New Hampshire of the Stonington line, on the way down Long Island sound to New York. When the steamboat reached her dock in New York it was discovered that Littlepage was not then among the passengers. His coat was found in his stateroom, with a five dollar bill and letters in one of his pockets. All his other clothing was gone, together with his satchel. Two weeks previously Mr. Littlepage had left Baltimore on a trip to New England. He was returning home when he disappeared.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, June 28, 1895, p. 2.

McKenna Gets His Liberty.

New York, 1895

John McKenna, in jail at Riverhead awaiting the action of the grand jury on a charge of abducting Agnes McGraw, 15 years old, of Bayport, was discharged from custody by Judge Smith on a writ of certiorari. The evidence was insufficient to warrant holding the defendant.


Hicksville Odd-Fellows' Election.

The semi-annual election of officers of Primrose lodge, I. O. O. F., of Hicksville, resulted as follows: Noble grand, August Hauser; vice-grand, John Baumschbach; secretary, Henry J. Nickolaus; treasurer, Henry Nickolaus; representative to grand lodge, Andrew B. Heberer.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, June 28, 1895, p. 1.

Married to Escape the Jail.

New York, 1895

John Kaissen, a Bohemian, who has been wanted at Islip for some time to answer to the charge of breach of promise preferred against him by Mary Stranarce, a Bohemian lass, was arrested and brought before Justice Griffith on Saturday. The couple left the court room man and wife.


Sold to Satisfy Judgments.

The property of the Amityville agricultural fair and driving park association was sold by Sheriff O'Brien to satisfy judgments amounting to about $4,200. There was only one bidder, S. P. Hildreth, who secured the property for $525. He acted in behalf of a syndicate.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, June 28, 1895, p. 1.

Bicycle Races at the Fair.

New York, 1895

The board of managers of the Agricultural society are going to make bicycle racing a prominent feature of the fall fair. The one mile novice race, open to class A residents of Long Island, prizes worth $25, $15 and $10, will take place on Wednesday, September 25. The one mile handicap, open only to residents of Queens county, prizes worth $25, $15 and $10, will be run on Thursday, September 26, and the two mile handicap, open to all class A riders, prizes worth $50, $25, $15 and $10, will be run on Friday. Races will be run under League of American Wheelmen rules and sanction.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, June 28, 1895, p. 1.

UPSET IN LITTLE HELL GATE.

New York, 1895

One of Four Persons Drowned — Another Swam Ashore.

Edward Doehn and William Madden of New York went out rowing in the sound Sunday with Thomas Dalton and James Smith, who live on an ice boat. Their boat had two sets of oars, and each took one oar. On their return through Little Hell Gate the tide was against them. When they were in the second eddy their boat drifted against a rock and upset.

The four men got on the upturned boat. Doehn slipped off finally, and was drowned. Smith swam to Randall's Island. The other two men were picked up by a boat.

Patrick J. Casey of Long Island City fell into the Harlem river Sunday. His back struck on a spile, and this incapacitated him from swimming. George Darling jumped in to rescue him, and Policeman Calhane got a rope and pulled them both out.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, June 28, 1895, p. 1.

THE DEVIL AMONG THEM.

New York, 1895

Big Row in the Temperance Division at Bay Side.

The Bay Side division of Sons of Temperance is about to disband. Several of the chief officers have been doing wrong. One of the most active members made a speech at the meeting Thursday night, in which he charged drunkenness and immorality, and said it was no credit to belong to such an organization.

The Bayside chapter is one of the results of the work of the Rev. Arthur Crossley, former pastor of the M. E. Church. A number of young men were induced to take the pledge and several drunkards were reclaimed. One of the reclaimed men was made worthy patriot. He showed such enthusiasm in his work that he has been re-elected twice. This man was the prime mover in getting up the petition against Shrell, the illicit distiller.

Lately he had some domestic trouble, and ever since has been on a protracted spree. He has, however, shown no inclination to relinquish the position he holds in the society.

The crisis came when, under the head of "good of the order," Frank Bouse said that with one of the officers continually drunk, another an adulterer, and another in an interesting condition, he didn't think it was much honor to belong to it.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, June 28, 1895, p. 1.

PUSHED OVERBOARD AND DROWNED.

New York, 1895

Charles Davis the Victim of an Unmerciful Captain.

William Adamson, Captain of a barge owned by William A. Price of New York, is locked up in the Town Hall at Flushing, charged with responsibility for the death of Charles Davis, 18 years old, who was drowned from the barge Monday afternoon.

Capt. Adamson tied up at the dye works dock Monday morning with a load of coal for the dye works. He hired Charles Davis and Pleasant Harris to assist in unloading the coal. After working several hours the young men got overheated and decided to take a bath. They sat down on the edge of the barge to rest. The Captain walked up behind the young men, and with the, remark "If you're going to take a swim, why don't you do it?" pushed Davis overboard. He sank instantly.

Harris called on the captain to save the youth's life, but, with a laugh, the captain went back to his work. Harris ran ashore and asked Capt. Hance to arrest Adamson. Hance thought the youth was fooling and paid no attention.

Deputy Sheriff Methven went immediately to the dock and arrested Capt. Adamson. The creek was dragged, and the body of Davis was recovered.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, June 28, 1895, p. 1.

No Picnics at Whitestone.

New York, 1895

Everything was as quiet as a graveyard at Whitestone on Sunday. Three men patrolled the shore all day on the lookout for picnic parties, but none attempted to land. The crusade of the Good Government club has had its effect. Since the arrest on Monday of Proprietor Stimmel of one of the picnic pavilions there has been a great change. It is said that Proprietor Knabb, of another pavilion, has refunded a deposit and notified a picnic party that he would be unable to entertain them.


The People of Hempstead Aroused.

The people of Hempstead are rising in their might against the toll road company which controls the Hempstead turnpike and propose to petition the attorney general to bring a suit to oust the company from possession of the road, upon the ground that the corporation, which is now under indictment by the grand jury for maintaining a nuisance, has failed to comply with the terms of its charter.


Silk Mills Seized by the Sheriff.

The property of the East River Silk Company in Long Island City was attached by Sheriff Doht, in behalf of the Bank of America, of New York, on Thursday afternoon. The bank has lost about $40,000 by discounting notes which were forged by A. S. Moore, secretary and treasurer of the company. The Union Bank, of New York, which holds about $4,000 of Moore's forged paper, also placed an attachment in the hands of Sheriff Doht.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, June 28, 1895, p. 1.

She Paid Damages and Costs.

New York, 1895

Mrs. John Kelly, stepmother of Post-Master John Kelly, Jr., of Kings Park, who was arrested for destroying his property at midnight on June 5, was called for trial at Northport before Justice Strawson Thursday afternoon. She decided to settle, paying damages and costs, amounting to about $150.


Woodside Florists Losing Heavily.

The dry weather is causing great damage to florists in Woodside and Winfield. Hundreds of dollars' worth of plants are dying in the ground. One florist at Woodside says that $500 would not cover his losses.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, June 28, 1895, p. 1.

King Lobengula's House.

1895

Of Lobengula's house nothing but a low heap of bricks remains. It is very pathetic to see the great deserted kraal, once so populous and now tenanted only by a few screaming plovers flying round and round over it. One or two miserable looking blacks were squatted among the ashes, grubbing for a few glass beads. Far away — the only thing that breaks the monotony of the horizon — you see Thabas Induna, the hill where Lobengula won his first victory. In spite of all his cruelties one cannot help being rather sorry for the old king. I think that feeling is held by most of the people engaged in the war.

The Matabili seem absolutely quiet and have no sense of the ignominy of defeat. But their insolence before the war is almost beyond belief. They would enter an Englishman's wagon, unbidden, pull the book he was reading out of his hand and throw it on the floor again and again, spit into his water bottle, snatch off his hat, and if he tried to recover it chuck a knobkerrie (club or knotted stick) under his chin so as almost to shatter his teeth. These insults had to be borne in silence, as resistance would only have ended in murder by overwhelming numbers. But the forbearance and self restraints of the white men when their turn came seem to have been marvelous after such provocation. — National Review.


A Dainty Sprinkler.

O'Kief — Doesn't Miss Flipsley make a pretty picture as she sprinkles her flowers?
McEll — Yes, and judging by the way she is holding her skirt she seems anxious to let the neighbors see that she uses nothing but the best quality of hose. — Brooklyn Eagle.

ELECTRIC FIRE ALARMS.

1895

Their Advantage In the Time When Immediate Help Is Most Needed.

The first few moments after the outbreak of a fire is the critical time in deciding whether or not it can be got under control, and upon the prompt arrival of the apparatus often depends the salvation or the destruction of the entire plant. While a watchman may be thoroughly conscientious and alert and do everything in his power under the trying circumstances which confront him the appliances at hand are necessarily limited, and one man is seldom enough for the emergency. If, after doing all he can, he finds the fire too much for him to handle and must then leave it to send in an alarm, much valuable time is lost, and when the apparatus finally arrives the blaze has obtained a vantage ground which often means the destruction of the property.

With the splendidly developed electric fire alarm systems which are on the market at the present day, affording every possible means of protection and at the same time reducing the insurance premiums very materially, it seems a decidedly short sighted policy to pass them by and still depend on the by no means infallible vigilance of a human machine, which, however good it may be, still has weaknesses which the other is not heir to.

The automatic fire alarm companies have made immense strides in the improvement of their systems during the past few years, and as their business has increased through the gradual appreciation of its merits they have kept abreast of the requirements presented and meet them at every point. The insurance companies have not been slow to recognize the additional protection to themselves as well as to the manufacturers, and have offered inducements in the shape of reduced premiums on plants so equipped.

The manufacturer whose plant is destroyed by fire, even though he be insured, suffers a loss which can hardly be estimated at the time, and from which it may take him years to recover, and though it is a peculiarity of human nature to look on such a contingency as applicable to everybody but himself the sensible man is the one who leaves no dangerous point unguarded, especially against so ruthless an enemy as fire. — Electrical Review.

No Reduction Accepted.

1895

The count came near and whispered softly.

"I am ready," he said, "to make a sacrifice for you."

She gestured deprecatingly.

"Sacrifice?" she repeated. "No, Reginald, I am able to pay the regular price."

She smiled, as in the consciousness of power. — Detroit Tribune.



Trivia

An unjust acquisition is like a barbed arrow, which must be drawn backward with horrible anguish, or else will be your destruction. — Jeremy Taylor.

The clove is the dried and unexpended bud of a tree technically known to botanists as the Caryophyllus aromaticus.

Belgium took its name from the Belgae, a warlike tribe which inhabited it before the time of Christ.

The early Egyptian lamps were of granite, alabaster and terra cotta.

A Puzzled Husband.

1895

Patient Man — Suppose a woman makes it so hot for her husband that he can't live with her and he leaves her. What can she do?

Lawyer — Sue him for support.

"Suppose she has run him so heavily into debt that he can't support her, because his creditors grab every penny as quick as he gets it?"

"If for any reason he fails to pay her the amount ordered, he will be sent to jail for contempt of court."

"Suppose she drives him out of the house with a flatiron and he's afraid to go back?" "She can sue him for desertion."

"Well, I don't see anything for me to do but go and hang myself."

"It's against the law to commit suicide, and if you are caught attempting it you'll be imprisoned. Thirteen and fourpence, please. Good day!" — Tit-Bits.


Irish In Ireland.

Irish is spreading in the schools of Ireland — 1,051 candidates presented themselves for examination in their native tongue last year as compared with 831 the year before. The number of schoolmasters who obtained certificates to teach Irish doubled. Irish was taught in 11 new board schools, and the sale of books of the Society For the Preservation of the Irish Language was greatly increased. — Philadelphia Ledger.

Pleasures of the Table.

1895

Heliogabalus surpassed Vitellius as far as Vitellius surpassed Lucullus in the art of expending vast sums upon the pleasures of the table. According to Lampridius, he cost the government for each of his dinners more than $180,000 in our money! This statement almost transcends belief. At one of his banquets was served an entree consisting of the brains of 600,000 ostriches, quickly followed by another of broiled heels of an incalculable number of tender young camels!

In the days of Shakespeare good digestion probably waited on appetite. Dining was a matter of fact business, and dinners were so lacking in the variety of dishes that an appetite was a necessity. In these days, as in the days of Vitellius, an appetite is a superfluity. Among the high livers it is satiated, dull, dead, worn out. Special dishes are invented to tickle and awaken it.

Lucullus, Vitellius and Heliogabalus are among the great departed, but their memory lives, and even in this day and generation they have their imitators. — New York Press.

A DEAL IN CUT RATE TICKETS.

1895

Two Theater Goers of Unequal Purses Accommodated by a Broker.

A young man entered a shop which displayed the sign, "Theater tickets at cut rates," on a Saturday afternoon about 2 o'clock and said to the ticket broker:

"What have you for matinee at Palmer's?"

"Dollar an 'af orchestry for $1," replied the proprietor, a sharp looking man, with a large diamond stud in his shirt.

"Haven't you a 50 cent admission? I only want to spend a quarter."

"Nope. Give you that orchestry for 75 cents."

"No," said the young man as he scanned the blackboard on which were chalked the attractions at the different theaters.

"Say," argued the speculator, "how much you got in yer jeans?"

"Fifty cents," was the reply after a little hesitation.

"All right," came back from the cage. "I'll go you. You just wait here for a pardner."

The young man walked nervously up and down the shop anxiously watching the clock, the door and the proprietor. Whenever a customer came in he listened attentively to the conversation. On the other hand, the speculator didn't seem in the least impatient.

At 20 minutes past 2 a tall man stalked in and asked:

"Have you an orchestra chair for Palmer's?"

A look of hope spread over the young man's face as the proprietor answered in the affirmative, and the tall man asked the price. But his look turned to consternation as the speculator answered:

"One dollar."

"Why, I thought you said 50 cents," the young man blurted out.

The speculator gave the young man a wink that would have done credit to a devil fish.

"Oh, I thought you meant those others," the young man stammered as he comprehended the meaning of the feat of facial contortion.

The tall man was satisfied and took the ticket and was told to go with the young man, as the ticket admitted two and couldn't be separated. Then the speculator took the dollar bill of the tall man in his left hand, while with his right he dextrously received and concealed the young man's two quarters.

As they hastened to the theater the tall man remarked in a patronizing way:

"I tell you what, it's a great thing to know all the ropes."

And it was with a smile that the young man assented to the proposition. — New York Sun.

Glassmaking.

1895

Much mystery has in times past attached to the art of glassmaking. It was formerly the custom for the workmen, in setting pots in the glass furnace, to protect themselves from the heat by dressing in the skins of wild animals from head to foot. To this queer garb were added glass goggle eyes, and thus the most hideous looking monsters were readily presented to the eye. Show was made of themselves in the neighborhood to the infinite alarm of children, old women and others. — Boston Herald.


In 1920.

Mrs. New Woman — Be calm, my dear. I think there's a woman under the bed!
Mr. New Woman — Oh, Maria, do be careful! If you shoot her, try not to hurt her very much. — Brooklyn Eagle.

Ages.

1895

Isn't it odd what a fascination the subject of ages has for one's elderly relatives?

Not that you are seeking to conceal any facts, but once during each call or visit having discussed the matter and resigned yourself to having even the servants know that you were 29 or 31 last March, it does seem that the theme might he dropped.

No matter how craftily the conversation is veered off, back the old folks prance to the juicy topic, and you are hauled up again and again to prove the date of the birth of Amelia's Georgie by the fact that you were 11 when he was born, which makes him so old last October, and refreshes their minds as to the age of Mary's Ella, because you are 15 months her senior.

Somehow you are always older than anybody else. — Polly Pry in New York Recorder.

The British Crown.

1895

The crown which was used in the ceremonies attending the coronation of Queen Victoria was made by Rundell & Bridge, and is said to represent a money value of about £300,000. It weighs a fraction less than two pounds and is almost covered with the 3,000 precious stones which adorn it. The headband of this gorgeous insignia of royalty is made of gold, covered with a row of 129 pearls along its lower edge and 112 on the upper. Between the pearls in front is a large sapphire and behind a smaller one. Near each sapphire is a clustered ornament made up of 286 diamonds. Immediately above the headband is a row of eight sapphires, each surmounted by a magnificent diamond, and eight festoons, collectively containing 160 diamonds. The front of the crown is a Maltese cross, having in its center the most famous known ruby, that given to the Black Prince by Pedro, king of Castile.

Besides the above there are three other crosses containing 386 diamonds. Between the four crosses are four ornaments, containing, respectively, 84, 85, 86 and 87 diamonds. The arched top of the crown, which is in imitation oak leaves, contains 728 diamonds. Besides the above, there are 32 acorns, each composed of a single pearl, set in cups made of 54 diamonds each. The whole is surmounted by a mound of 548 diamonds and a cross of sapphires with arms of 108 small diamonds. — St. Louis Republic.

BISMARCK'S TRAITS.

1895

How the Old Chancellor Came Out Ahead of a Stupid Hotel Keeper.

Perhaps the chief trait of Bismarck's genius is to be found in his entire freedom from the preconceived notions, and in the limpidness of his mind, which refused to submit to accepted fallacies. This tendency in early age earned for him, of the dull pedantry and prime Philistines around him, the sobriquet of "Tolle Bismarck" — the mad Bismarck — but later on it resulted in the complete demolition of the old system of diplomacy. For equivocation and downright falsehood his powerful intellect substituted a kind of outrageous frankness which bewildered and outwitted his adversaries. Nothing, however, marks his strong personality more vividly than the intense hatreds and blind devotions with which he has surrounded himself. He had the courage to be himself, the power to rely upon himself and to look at things in the face, while the keen sense of humor enabled him to see clearly the vast array of sham and pompous pretense of public and private life.

Never had madness more method than is shown by the originality of this strange being, half Mephistopheles, half dragon, who, before subduing to his iron will the whole of European diplomacy, shocked and horrified the fogies of the old school with the innuendoes and insinuations, the sarcasms and stories, the gibes and jokes which he flung at their heads mercilessly and continually. The wigged and powdered pomp which covered diplomatic pretense and mendacity was torn aside the instant that Prince Bismarck got a grip of political realities, and his first appearance among the dignified excellencies of the German diet constituted a veritable revolution.

The incidents of his early relations with these empty headed "importants sans importance" offer perhaps the most racy of the many anecdotes — in Prince Bismarck's own words in many cases — in his Boswell, his faithful secretary, Dr. Moritz Busch. His first encounter at Frankfort was with his hostler, who, like all the good burghers of the free city at that time, was intensely anti-Prussian. The old hotel where he put up, as Prussian delegate to the diet, was not provided with a complete system of bells, and Bismarck asked for a hand bell at least, wherewith to communicate with his valet. But he was gruffly told there was none to spare, and that he must shift for himself. Early next morning the loud report of a pistol set all the guests in a panic, with the exemption of Bismarck's servant, who explained that, as no bell was forthcoming, his master had summoned him by pistol shot. Five minutes later the desired bell was placed within Bismarck's reach. — New York Post.

Origin of "Viz."

1895

The contraction "viz" is a curious instance of the universality of arbitrary signs. There are few writers who do not appreciate the fact that the little contraction may be used in "good form" writing of all kinds, but there are probably even fewer persons who have any idea of its origin. It is a corruption of the word videlicet, the terminal letter of which was formerly made in the shape of a "z," but was never intended to represent that letter, being simply used as a mark or sign of abbreviation. It is now always written and expressed as "z" and will doubtless continue to be so used as long as written language exists. It is, however, as we have said, one of the many arbitrary modes of expression used by the masses, who never give a thought as to their origin. — St. Louis Republic.



His Bad Habit.

"He is a fine young man," said Mabel's father. "I am surprised that you treat him so harshly."
"Perhaps you don't know him as well as I do, father?"
"I know him pretty well. He has no bad habits at all."
"He has one of which I disapprove very much."
"He has?"
"Yes; I can't break him of proposing to me." — Washington Star.

Dean Stanley's Bad Handwriting.

1895

Dean Stanley's bad handwriting is a matter of common notoriety, and I have often been asked if it was true that the printers refused to set it up. The fact is, that when the "copy" for the "History of the Jewish Church" was sent in the printers reported that they would have to charge a special rate for composition, as no man could set up such manuscript on the ordinary terms. we accordingly had the work copied out by a skillful amanuensis before it was set in type, as this proved to be the least expensive way of meeting the difficulty.

Once he wrote to my father a letter on an important matter, but there were some passages in it which, in spite of every effort, proved undecipherable. My father was consequently compelled to underline these sentences and to return the letter, with a request that they might be rewritten. In due course the dean replied, "If you cannot read my writing, I am sure I cannot do so, but I think I meant to say" so and so, and the sentence was rewritten in a form scarcely more legible than before. — John Murray in Good Words.

Dictionary of Discontent.

1895

Science, dear Lady Betty, has diminished hope, knowledge has destroyed our illusions, and experience has deprived us of interest. Here, then, is the authorized dictionary of discontent:

What is creation? A failure.
What is life? A bore.
What is man? A fraud.
What is woman? Both a fraud and a bore.
What is beauty? A deception.
What is love? A disease.
What is marriage? A mistake.
What is a wife? A trial.
What is a child? A nuisance.
What is the devil? A fable.
What is good? Hypocrisy.
What is evil? Detection.
What is wisdom? Selfishness.
What is happiness? A delusion.
What is friendship? Humbug.
What is generosity? Imbecility.
What is money? Everything.
And what is everything? Nothing.

Were we perhaps not happier when we were monkeys? — London Truth.

Eight Years for Postmaster Hegeman.

New York, 1895

Ex-Postmaster Joseph Hegeman, of Bayville, was on Friday sentenced by Judge Benedict, in the United States court, to eight years' imprisonment in the Kings county penitentiary. Hegeman was convicted of embezzling the funds of his office, and the amounts of his embezzling were found to be $1,291, which amount was placed against him as a fine, in addition to the imprisonment.


Threatened to Kill His Brother.

Willie Jones, the 12 year old son of James Jones, of Patchogue, while in a temporary fit of dementia attempted to kill his little brother with a knife. The children were playing together when suddenly Willie caught his brother by the hair and brandishing the knife over the child's head threatened to cut him if he cried out. The child was saved by the sudden appearance of the mother.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, June 28, 1895, p. 8.

Getting Even With Their Rival.

New York, 1895

A big crowd of hack drivers helped Road Commissioner Pearsall's men to tear up the tracks of the horse car line near the depot at Far Rockaway. The horse car line to the beach ruined the hackmen's business. This year the line has not been running, and an examination of its franchise shows that it had no right to lay its tracks on the block connecting it with the depot. The hackmen, seeing the work going on, imagined that the whole line was to be destroyed, and turned in to help.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, June 28, 1895, p. 8.

Jolly Coterie Boys Getting Ready.

New York, 1895

The jolly boys of the Springfield Coterie are getting ready for their annual festival. August 7th is the day fixed upon, and Phillips' Sea Side Pavilion is the place. Get your bibs and tuckers ready, girls. Special train and clambake, dancing all day, and a moonlight ride. Make a note of the date — August 7.


Militiamen on Bicycles.

Capt. Frank N. Bell, of the Seventeenth Separate Company of the National Guard, of Flushing, has a squad of thirty of his men mounted on bicycles. Drills are held every week. Bugler Charles Mowler executes the different calls.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, June 28, 1895, p. 8.

Stole the Girls' Clothing.

New York, 1895

Three young and pretty girls went out to Wildwood lake, Riverhead, Tuesday afternoon to bathe. After they had taken their dip they found that some person had stolen their clothing. After waiting until dark they walked through the woods in their bathing suits to the house of Benjamin Terrell, about a mile and a quarter distant. As Mr. Terrell has no girls in his family the unfortunates had to keep on to the next neighbor, who fitted them out with temporary costumes, and they returned home.


Held Up a Telephone Girl.

Michael Hardy of Port Jefferson held up Miss Lizzie C. Lawrence, the Western Union operator, on Monday and frightened her into giving him money. When the follow repeated his demands the terrified girl succeeded in attracting the attention of a passerby and Hardy was made a prisoner. He was sent up for thirty days.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, June 28, 1895, p. 8.

Accident to Mr. De Bevoise.

New York, 1895

Charles De Bevoise, of New York avenue, Jamaica, when returning home from market on Friday stopped in Brooklyn to make some purchases. While he was in the store his team started to run away. He caught them by the head and was thrown down, one of the animals stepping on his right hand and breaking the finger bones.


Locust Post Thieves Sentenced.

August Weibker was sentenced by Justice Hendrickson of Jamaica to six months' imprisonment in the county jail and $50 fine, and Matthew Funck to six months in the county jail for stealing locust posts from the premises of Garret Van Siclen at Black Stump.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, June 28, 1895, p. 8.

Knocked His Wagon to Pieces.

New York, 1895

William Carey, the express driver of the Long Island railroad company at Southold, narrowly escaped being killed Tuesday night by a locomotive running extra to Greenport. Carey was driving across the track when the locomotive struck the wagon and smashed it into a hundred pieces. Carey jumped from the back of the wagon and escaped injury. The horse was not injured.


Ten Thousand Railroad Ties.

The British tramp steamer Delta arrived in New York Friday morning from Bay Chaleur, Quebec, with a cargo of 10,000 white cedar railroad ties, consigned to the Long Island railroad company.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, June 28, 1895, p. 8.

Brush Bitten By Dog

New York, 1895

Jamaica Brevities.

Charles Brush of Union avenue was on Monday bitten several times on the left hand by his pet dog.

The Bailey property on Union avenue has been purchased by Mr. Hogan, of New York City, for $4,500.

The cellar has been dug for the house for Dr. Flynn on Hardenbrook avenue. Valentine Bangert has the contract.

James McNamara, for several years conductor on the Atlantic avenue division of the Long Island railroad has been appointed station master at Jamaica.

The room in the old trustees hall on Union avenue, now being fitted up for the use of the trustees will be ready for them July 5.

Michael Welsh was found Tuesday night sleeping on the porch of the Presbyterian chapel. Justice Hendrickson sent him to the county jail for 30 days.

Contractor George Marshall has completed the work of filling in the excavations on the Town Hall property and grading the ground and made a good job of it. The plot will be fenced and the ground laid out in lawns and flower beds.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, June 28, 1895, p. 8.

KILLED BY AN ELEVATOR.

New York, 1895

Reckenbach Caught Under a Descending Car and Crushed.

Charles Reckenbach, a 19 year-old boy, who worked in the Lalance & Grosjean factory at Woodhaven, was crushed to death in the elevator shaft on Friday. Reckenbach wanted to go to an upper story and leaned over a guard rail to see if the car was coming up. The elevator was coming down at the time and struck Reckenbach upon the head.

The car continued its descent, and the youth's body was lifted two foot from the floor. When the car first struck him Reckenbach gave a series of frightened screams. When his body was taken from the shafting the neck was found to be broken. Frank Dominge, who was running the elevator, says he saw Reckenbach, but could not stop the car.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, June 28, 1895, p. 8.

Fire at Brooklyn Hills.

New York, 1895

Shortly after midnight Sunday fire broke out in the large three story building of H. W. Lange, corner of Union Place and the Jamaica road, Brooklyn Hills. The fire was discovered on the second floor, which was unoccupied. Lange occupies the lower floor for a grocery, and a family resided on the top floor. The firemen, after an hour's hard work, extinguished the flames. The damage to the building by fire and stock in the store will not fall short of $1,000.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, June 28, 1895, p. 8.

Trestle Fire Case Ended

New York, 1895

Justice Hendrickson's Court.

Lucien Huadberg, of Woodhaven, aged 15, who was arrested for setting fire to the trestle work of the Long Island railroad at Woodhaven Junction, was discharged by Justice Hendrickson on Friday. He came to the conclusion that the boy had no intention of setting fire to the structure.

August Bycott and Henry Miller were arrested on Sunday by Game Constable Philips for fishing in Way's pond on the Flushing road. They were charged with violating the Sunday law. They were arraigned before Justice Hendrickson, who discharged them with a warning.

Note: In an earlier article, his name was spelled Lucien Haurdberg.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, June 28, 1895, p. 8.

Keep Your Horses off the Streets.

New York, 1895

Officer Fogarty, of Jamaica, found three horses roaming over the highways Saturday morning and put them in the pound. Louis Palo claimed two of the animals. Appearing before the police justice he was fined $10 for having his horses loose. He demurred at paying the $10, but thought better of it in the evening, and tendered the fine to the justice. But three meals for the two animals, amounting to $1.50, was demanded before the horses could be released, and then Palo vowed he would not pay at all.

The charges not having been paid the justice served a summons on Palo directing him to show cause why the horses should not be sold to pay the penalty and costs, returnable on July 1. So far no one has claimed the third horse.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, June 28, 1895, p. 8.

Burglars Raid Four Houses.

New York, 1895

Burglars paid a visit to the village of Jamaica Tuesday night. They effected an entrance to the residence of George Crawford, corner of Ray and Grove streets, where they were disturbed in their operations and made their escape, securing only a silk waist.

At the residence of Henry S. Midgley, on Shelton avenue, Mrs. Midgley saw the two burglars in her room and gave an alarm. They fled before they secured any booty.

They also broke into the residence of Mr. Schielin, corner of Flushing and Shelton avenues, where they stole $13.

An attempt was made to break into the residence of Walter Dunham, on Herriman avenue.

At each place entrance was gained through one of the lower windows, the burglars boreing a hole through the window sash, then with a wire forcing back the lock.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, June 28, 1895, p. 8.

Mrs. Golder Ill

New York, 1895

News from Springfield.

Mrs. Daniel Golder is very ill at the home of Smith Watts.

The seven-year-old child of Mrs. John Stehler died on Wednesday from convulsions.

Rev. Mr. Bowdish of the M. E. Church preached a sermon on temperance last Sunday evening.

Ephraim Baylis, who has been ill has so far recovered as to be able to attend to his business.

Samuel Jennings of Hoboken spent a few days last week with Isaac Mulligan of Grand avenue.

Wright P. Higbie had a quantity of cabbage plants stolen on Friday night from his hot bed.

Charles Styles has sold his meat business to his brother George, who will take charge July 1.

The ladies of the Presbyterian church held a sociable on Monday in the church and a delightful time was had.

Horace Wells graduated from Pratt's institute last Friday. He intends to enter Cornell University in the fall.

Court Springfield of Forresters will hold athletic games on their grounds on the Fourth of July, at 2 o'clock, P. M.

The ladies of the M. E. Church will hold a festival and lawn party in the church yard on Fourth of July, afternoon and evening.

Cornelius Stoothoff on Monday afternoon, while putting a market wagon away was struck on the head with the pole and knocked senseless. It was found necessary to put four stitches in his head.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, June 28, 1895, p. 8.

Hoople's Estate

New York, 1895

The News of Queens.

The late William H. Hoople left an estate valued at $442,500.

Miss Phebe Hendrickson gave a sociable to her friends on Wednesday evening.

The Queens bicycle club had their initial run of the season on Sunday to Rockaway Beach.

Highway Commissioner Frank J. Lott gave a supper to The Penochle club at Barb's hotel on Wednesday evening.

The Queens field club and the Crystals of Mott Haven will play a game of base ball on the Athletic grounds on Saturday afternoon.

Miss Mary Graff, daughter of Anthony Graff, and John Stumpler were married at the residence of the bride's parents at Creedmoor on Wednesday evening.

The public school closed for the summer months last Friday. It is rumored that Miss Tallman and Mr. Hallock, teachers at the school will not return.

The Rev. J. S. N. Demarest, of the Reformed church, and the Rev. Charles P. Tinker of the Floral Park Methodist church, exchanged pulpits Sunday morning.

The Kaffe Klatsch club, composed of the lady residents of Queens, Mrs. George Haubitzer, president, held a meeting at the residence of Mrs. Richard Duryea in Brooklyn on Wednesday.

The field sports at the Athletic grounds on July 4th for the benefit of Thomas Lloyd, owner of the grounds, will consist of throwing the ball, and running bases by members of the Field Club, bicycle races, potato race and a game of base ball between the Field Club and the Floral Park nine. There will be a display of fireworks in the evening.

The statement in THE FARMER last week, that the Reformed church had contributed $258.99 to benevolence during the year, did not do the church justice. The sum stated was all that the church treasurer put in his annual report, but the total of the gifts to benevolence, Mr. Demarest says, was $573.08.

The game of baseball on Saturday between the Coronas and the Field club was a splendid exhibition of scientific playing by amateurs. The Queens boys won the game in the fifth inning by bunching their hits, bringing home four runs. The features of the game were a difficult one hand stop by Nichols, and the pitching of Darman and Richardson. The score was 9 to 8.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, June 28, 1895, p. 8.

PESTS OF THE PLAINS.

1895

The Rattlesnake's Sting and the Bite of the Hydrophobia Skunk.

Major Wilcox, a veteran surgeon from Fort Huachuca, told the other day of the red racer snake, a deadly foe of the rattlesnake and who fights the latter on every occasion. He cannot kill the rattler by a poisonous sting, but awaiting an opportunity seizes his victim behind the head and gives it a crushing squeeze in his powerful jaws. This severs the rattlesnake's spinal cord and causes death. The red racer then swallows the rattler, poison and all. Occasionally, when in the field, Major Wilcox treated soldiers for rattlesnake bites and found it easy to overcome the effects of the poison.

One day a private came to him with a wound from a rattlesnake's fangs in his index finger. The major hastily scarified the wound, broke open a rifle cartridge, poured powder over the wound and exploded it. This cauterized the injured part and so effectually dispelled the poison that only one-half the hand was swollen. The patient soon recovered. On another occasion a man cut off a rattlesnake's head, and, desiring to preserve it, packed cotton into the dead snake's mouth. The jaws closed upon the man's fingers, inflicting a wound from which he soon died.

Rancher Leonard, owner of a vast cattle range in New Mexico, in recounting his experiences on the plains, remarked that he feared the hydrophobia skunk far more than he did the rattlesnake. The snake gives warning of his presence; the skunk does not. This variety of skunk is not only vicious, but aggressive, while the rattlesnake seldom attacks unless disturbed. The hydrophobia skunk is probably the only animal, excepting the coyote, west of the Rocky mountains whose bite induces rabies. Besides this and because of its fondness for occupying the tents of frontiersmen at night, the animal is much dreaded.

Occasionally a coyote will "run mad" and bite another, and thus hydrophobia is communicated to large packs of the fleet footed animals and they race over the prairies and mesas, making mad every living creature in their pathway that they happen to bite. One of the amusements of the cowboys is to capture a rattler alive and get the creature drunk. With a forked stick the snake's head is held down, its mouth is forced open and whisky poured down its throat in sufficient quantity to intoxicate it. The snake will then try to coil its body as if to go to sleep. The action of the alcohol makes it "groggy" and the coils won't coil. When a stick is shoved before the snake's nose, it tries to strike, but the head and body wobble from side to side much as does a drunken man in his attempt to reach a lamppost. — San Francisco Chronicle.

A Novel Watch.

1895

A watch has been invented which measures distance by sound. The inventor, a French officer named Thouvenin, has called the instrument a phonotelemeter. To operate it a little button is pressed at the instant of the flash and again at the sound. In the meantime a needle traverses a dial, registering time to the one-tenth part of a second. The rest is a mere matter of calculation.


Trivia

The true test of civilization is not the census, nor the size of cities, nor the crops, but the kind of men that the country turns out. — Emerson.

The Wax Chandlers' company of London was incorporated in 1483.

Hats were first made in England by Flemings about 1510.

Shoes and Gloves.

1895

As a rule, that old fashioned word "tidy" is reserved rigidly for commendation of a housegirl or housewife in the lowlier walks of life. Your fine lady would scorn to be called "tidy," why, no one can exactly say. But she is in no danger of earning the appellation so long as it is the fashion to wear dirt white gloves with the handsomest street toilets.

A woman can never be pronounced faultlessly attired if there is anything amiss with her shoes or her gloves. A rusty shoe peeping from under a hem of glistening satin or chick crepon stamps its wearer, in the eyes of spectators, as a lopsided woman. But a rusty shoe may be cautiously concealed by care and attention, a soiled glove never. — New York Mail and Express.

New at the Business.

1895

Scene in a dry goods store which has lately added a cigar department:

Salesman (transferred from linen stock, to customer, an old smoker, — Ah, good morning, sir! What can I show you today? Here are some lovely Henry Clay perfectos — from the same house, sir, that sends us the Clay worsteds, which you will find at the cloth counter.

(Customer looks surprised.)

"Yes, sir, and just look at this pretty bunch of imported Manila cheroots! We have them in all shades and sizes, sir. And the ribbon around this bunch exactly matches your four-in-hand."

(Customer glares.)

"Or perhaps you would like this sweet meerschaum pipe? It is warranted not to change color or show smoke marks."

(Customer gets red in the face.)

"Chewing tobacco, sir? Yes, sir. Will you have a yard or two yards?"

(Customer explodes into violent language and salesman faints.) — Buffalo Express.

A Bit of Human Nature.

1895

"Did you see that, mister?" said an elevated railroad guard to a man who stood with him on the rear platform of the first car the other night.

"Yes."

"Well, then," added the guard, "you saw my three little children. They were kneeling at a trunk in front of the window of that house we passed. Over them stood their mother. She was about sending them to bed, but before they go she teaches 'em to pray for me, and she brings 'em there so I can see 'em.

"And," he added, with a manly attempt to keep his voice from trembling, "she has told me what she tells 'em to say."

"What is it?"

"I hope you won't think me childish, sir; but, as I guess you are a married man and a father, you may care to hear it. You see, it's this way: The kids go to bed at 9. That's about the time my train goes by the house. So just then she brings them up to the trunk in their nightgowns and makes 'em kneel down, with their hands clasped on their faces. And then they pray that papa will be good and kind and keep sober and bring home all his money, and" — The big guard's voice trembled.

"I'm rough, tough and all that," he at length continued, "but I love my wife, and I love my children. They are the only ones on earth that keep me straight.

"Bleeck-e-e-er! Good night, sir." And the train proceeded, leaving at least one man with tears in his eyes. — New York Recorder.

Color In the Home.

1895

The modern scientific decorator assures us that while yellows are all right for a hall or vestibule they should not be used in rooms where one reads or works. The reason assigned is that yellow does not absorb light, but is a strong reflector, and those reflected rays are trying to the eyes, but, more than that, are distinct brain disturbers. For the library or workroom the most soothing or satisfactory tint is coffee.

The influence of color upon temperament and physical condition being an accepted fact it follows in natural sequence that the treatment of living rooms is of real importance. Undoubtedly some natures respond quicker to these influences than others, but any one planning a change in furnishings will do well to give the matter some attention.


Teeth of Man and Animals.

A horse has 40 teeth, and a mare only 36, wanting the tusks, or so called "wolf teeth." The ox and sheep family have 32, each lacking the eight incisors of the upper jaw. The hog has 44 teeth, and the dog 42. Where the dental formula is perfect in all varieties of the human species it is found to show 32 teeth. — St. Louis Republic.

The Metal of the Standards.

1895

There are no products of human skill on which a greater degree of care is expended than the standards of weight and measure in use among the civilized nations of the globe. Two things in particular have to be considered — accuracy and durability. Nature does not furnish any single metal or mineral which exactly answers the requirements for a standard of measure or weight that shall be, as nearly as possible, unalterable.

The best substance yet produced for this purpose is an alloy of 90 per cent of platinum, with 10 per cent of iridium. This is called iridio-platinum, and it is the substance of which the new metric standards prepared by the international committee of weights and measures are composed.

It is hard, it is less affected by heat than any pure metal, it is practically nonoxidizable, or not subject to rust, and it can be finely engraved. In fact, the lines on the standard meters are hardly visible to the naked eye, yet they are smooth, even, sharp and accurate.

If our civilization should ever be lost, and relics of it should be discovered in some brighter age in the remote future, there is nothing which would bear higher testimony to its character than these standard measures of iridio-platinum, for the production and preservation of which the science of our day has done its very best. — Youth's Companion.

MRS. BROWNING'S SONNETS.

1895

Edmund Gosse Tells an Interesting Story of How They Were Named.

Edmund Gosse tells in his late essay on Mrs. Browning's sonnets how her volume of "Sonnets From the Portuguese" was christened, as follows: "During the months of their brief courtship, closing, as all the world knows, in the clandestine flight and romantic wedding of Sept. 12, 1846, neither poet showed any verses to the other. Mr. Browning in particular had not the smallest notion that the circumstances of their betrothal had led Miss Barrett into any artistic expression of feeling:

"Their custom was, Mr. Browning said, to write alone and not to show each other what they had written. This was a rule which he sometimes broke through, but she never. He had the habit of working in a down stairs room, where their meals were spread, while Mrs. Browning studied in a room on the floor above. One day, early in 1847, their breakfast being over, Mrs. Browning went up stairs, while her husband stood at the window watching the street till the table should be cleared. He was presently aware of some one behind him, although the servant was gone. It was Mrs. Browning, who held him by the shoulder to prevent his turning to look at her and at the same time pushed a packet of papers into the pocket of his coat. She told him to read that, and to tear it up if he did not like it, and then she fled to her own room.

"Mr. Browning settled himself at the table and unfolded the parcel. It contained the series of sonnets which have now become so illustrious. As he read his emotion and delight may he conceived. Before he had finished it was impossible for him to restrain himself, and, regardless of his promise, he rushed up stairs and stormed that guarded citadel. He was early conscious that these were treasures not to be kept from the world. 'I dared not reserve to myself,' he said, 'the finest sonnets written in any language since Shakespeare's.'

"When it was determined to publish the sonnets in the volumes of 1850, the question of a title arose. The name which was ultimately chosen, 'Sonnets From the Portuguese,' was invented by Mr. Browning as an ingenious device to veil the true authorship, and yet to suggest kinship with that beautiful lyric called 'Caterina to Camoens,' in which so similar a passion had been expressed. Long before he ever heard of these poems Mr. Browning called his wife his 'own little Portuguese,' and so, when she proposed 'Sonnets Translated From the Bosnian,' he, catching at the happy thought of 'translated,' replied: 'No, not Bosnian — that means nothing — but from the Portuguese. They are Caterina's sonnets.' And so, in half a joke. half a conceit, the famous title was invented."

Eating to Live.

1895

Dr. Pavy, perhaps the most eminent authority upon diet, says that the average man in a state of absolute rest can live on 16 ounces of food a day. A man doing ordinary light work can live on 23 ounces, and a man doing laborious work needs from 26¾ to 30 ounces.

This is food absolutely free from water, and it must be remembered that everything we eat contains more or less water, so that from 48 to 60 ounces of ordinary food are necessary to the work in which a man is engaged.

Sir Lyon Playfair, another great authority, gives the following as all that is necessary for a healthy man to eat in a week: Three pounds of meat, with one pound of fat; two ordinary loaves of bread, one ounce of salt and five pints of milk, or, for the meat, five or six pounds of oatmeal may be substituted. This sounds like starvation diet, but Sir Lyon Playfair generally knows what he's talking about. — Lancet.

Made Her Warm.

1895

When measles once ran riot in a girls' boarding school, the physician in charge had great difficulty in persuading his skittish patients to remain in bed and so induce the perspiration absolutely necessary to recovery. Every means was tried, but to no avail. The girls found it impossible not to just hop out from the blankets in order to run in and tell their next door neighbors that it was decided to trim the new hat with heliotrope, or that it was true that Cousin Fred was actually engaged, all of which seriously retarded recovery. It looked for a time indeed as though funerals might become epidemic as well as measles.

Finally the psychology teacher hit upon a scheme that seemed likely to work. It consisted in the few well girls stationing themselves in turn at the bed of each invalid and criticising her most unmercifully. The success of the plan was simply phenomenal. After but a few brief moments of such treatment the patient broke out into a profuse and violent perspiration. Recovery soon followed, the doctors were overwhelmed at this fresh proof of the influence of mind over matter, and the psychology teacher was a proud and happy pedagogue. — New York Sun.

HEREDITARY NEEDLES.

1895

A Case That May Arouse Some Apprehension In the Rearing of Families.

Needles have never been supposed to be hereditary, but a recent case reported by a physician of eminence offers undoubted evidence to the contrary. A lady accidentally ran a needle into her foot 80 years ago, and it lay apparently dormant in her system for so many years that its existence was almost forgotten.

In 1878 she was married, and a year after the birth of her infant daughter the needle made its appearance in the infant's shoulder. There could be no doubt that it was the original needle by which the mother had been attacked in 1860, for it was of a peculiar and now obsolete pattern, and the mother distinctly remembered that needles of that pattern were in use at the time of her attack.

There could be no doubt that the infant inherited the needle from her mother, and that henceforth physicians will expect to find a natural tendency to needles in the tissues.

As it is asserted that people have died from needles, although there are very few such cases on record, the insurance companies will doubtless add to the questions which they put to candidates for insurance, "Did your father or mother ever swallow needles, and, if so, how many, and Of what kind — sewing, darning or carpet?" — Spare Moments.

THE SIZE OF THE UNIVERSE.

1895

Miles Are Too Insignificant to Be Used In Its Computation.

While it is interesting to know the distance of some of the stars in miles, when stated in that way the numbers are so large that they frequently convey very indistinct conceptions to the mind. For this reason it is customary to estimate stars' distances in "light years." A light year is the distance that light, moving at the rate of 186,300 miles per second, travels in one year. This amounts in round numbers to 5,880,000,000,000 miles. The distance of Alpha Centaur is 4.35 light years, that of Sirius, the dog star, is almost exactly twice as great, or 8.6 light years. In other words, light requires 8.6 years to come to us from Sirius. And these are among the very nearest of the stars. Some whose parallaxes have been rather estimated than measured appeared to be situated at a distance which light could not traverse in less than one or two centuries. The great still Arcturus, for instance, has, according to Dr. Elkin, a parallax of only eighteen-thousandths of a second. Its distance must, in that case, be about 181 light years, or more than a thousand million million miles. And if its distance is so great, then, since light varies inversely as the square of the distance from its source, it can be shown that Arcturus must actually give forth 5,000 or 6,000 times as much light as the sun yields.

Yet Arcturus is evidently much nearer than the vast majority of the stars are. Not one in a million is known to have a parallax large enough even to be intelligently guessed at. There may be stars whose light requires thousands instead of hundreds of years to cross the space separating them from us.

We thus see that only a few points on the nearer shores of the starry universe lie within reach of our measurements — here and there a jutting headland, while behind stretches the vast expanse over which the hundreds of millions of stars known to exist are scattered. — Garrett P. Serviss in Chautauquan.

New Fire Proof Safe Installed

New York, 1895

Jamaica Brevities.

The Jamaica public schools will close for the summer vacation on Friday, June 28th.

A new fire proof safe for keeping the town maps was placed in the town clerk's office on Wednesday.

William Wright, superintendent of streets, has been appointed truant officer by the board of education.


Children's Lawn Party.

A children's lawn party was held at the residence of Alfred H. Beers at Jamaica Friday. afternoon, the object being to give financial aid to a mission in Brooklyn. Under a tent an entertainment was given, consisting of songs and recitations by Lillie Scott, Irma Jarvis, Carrie Pottinger, Nellie Jones, Bessie Beers and Grace Jones.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, June 21, 1895, p. 8.

Police Court Business.

New York, 1895

Thomas Kehoe was brought before Justice Hendrickson on a charge of being drunk and disorderly, and sentence was suspended.

Annie J. Bronson, of Ozone Park, who was arrested on Fulton street, Jamaica, on Monday afternoon, was arraigned before Justice Hendrickson on Tuesday on a charge of intoxication and disorderly conduct. She was sent to the county jail for thirty days.

Curtis Degrasse, residing on the Merrick road, Jamaica, who was arrested for stealing a bicycle from Joseph Baylis was arraigned before Justice Hendrickson on Friday and sentenced to the state industrial school at Rochester. An older brother, Foster Degrasse, is in the same institution.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, June 21, 1895, p. 8.

J. TYLER WATTS HONORED.

New York, 1895

Engrossed Resolutions Which Express Public Opinion of the Man.

The board of trustees of the village of Jamaica surprised ex-President J. Tyler Watts at his home on Union avenue last Friday evening, and presented him a handsomely engrossed copy of resolutions that the board and the other village officers had adopted at the time of Mr. Watts' retirement from office. The document expressed the high esteem of Mr. Watts' official associates, and was signed by all of them. Trustee Van Allen made the presentation speech. The preamble and resolutions are as follows:

WHEREAS, After many years of faithful service as trustee and as president of the village, J. Tyler Watts has voluntarily retired from said board of trustees, and

WHEREAS, We, the officers of the village, have, from long official intercourse with him, become impressed with the zeal and honesty of purpose which has always characterized his actions, his readiness to suggest and co-operate in any movement tending to the benefit of the corporation and his unwavering determination to do right regardless of his personal interests; therefore be it

Resolved, That in the retirement of Mr. Watts from the aforesaid board the community has lost the earnest and valuable service of a conscientious and faithful officer; and

Resolved, That we take this opportunity of placing on record our appreciation of the courtesy, fairness and uniform kindness which has marked his official relations with us; and

Resolved, That we tender to Mr. Watts our sincere regrets at the severance of our official ties, and the assurance of our heartiest good wishes for his future welfare, success and happiness, and that he may long live to enjoy the peace and comfort to which his integrity and devotion to duty fully entitle him.

Mr. and Mrs. Watts entertained the company pleasantly.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, June 21, 1895, p. 8.

Insanity Contagious.

1895

A Malady That May Be Acquired by Association With One Afflicted.

An interesting discussion upon the subject of communicated insanity was brought out at the meeting of the Association of Asylum Superintendents in 1887 by the reading of the history of the Pocassett letter carrier, Freeman, who, with the consent of his wife, who had become possessed of the same fanatical ideas, offered up their son as a sacrifice, in the manner of Abraham, says Dr. Pilgrim in The Popular Science Monthly.

The insanity of the mother was not detected at the time, but in a month she became manifestly insane. As will be seen, this case cannot be considered a typical one of communicated insanity, for the remorse and grief which necessarily followed the participation in her husband's fanatical act were sufficient to account for her insanity, aside from any influence which he might have had over her. The discussion, however, brought out the interesting fact that several of the superintendents present had had experience with cases which would appear to justify the use of the term "communicated insanity," although others objected to its adoption.

One particularly interesting instance was related by Dr. Fletcher of Indiana, where two brothers and a sister, living on a farm isolated from the rest of the community, became, one after the other, controlled by the same insane delusion. They were Germans, industrious and thrifty, but uneducated and superstitious. The elder brother conceived the idea that the devil had taken possession of their farm and was secreted under a certain bowlder in the barnyard. He imagined that no good crops could be raised until his satanic majesty had been unearthed. He began searching and worked for several days rolling up great bowlders, until the younger brother, and finally the sister also became possessed of the same idea also and lent their assistance.

They all worked for about six weeks, making an excavation about 20 feet square and 15 feet deep. They worked so hard and became so emaciated that the neighbors interfered and had them sent to an asylum, where, happily, under the influence of treatment, change of surroundings and good diet, they ultimately recovered.

Hard Case.

1895

It was said of Hiram Wilson's conversational powers that they were "enough to turn the most knowledgeable folks scatter witted for the time being," and when he began to tell a story groups of men melted away as if by magic.

"I was goin by the Widder Follet's this mornin," he began one day as he joined the group around the new village pump, "at least I say goin by, an I dunno why I say goin by, for I wa'n't exackly. I was just goin along, as old Sam'l Gill used to tell about — leastways I dunno why I say old, for he wa'n't so turrible old — not much older'n most of us here — leastways I dunno's I orter say most of us, for there's Peter Franklin that I've heered tell — that is t' say, I ain't ever exackly heerd, bein as I'm so deef from the rheumaticks settlin in my ears, an I dunno's I've any call to say rheumaticks 'nother, for there was one doctor told me — leastways I dunno's he act'lly was a doctor, but he made out — an I dunno but made out's a kind of a ha'sh way to put it, but ye see he" —

At this point Mr. Wilson paused and looked about him. The legs of his last listener were vanishing around the corner of the postoffice, and he was left alone.

"Well, I never see anythin like it," said Mr. Wilson in an aggrieved tone as he proceeded to follow his late audience. "Seems 's if a man couldn't tell a succumstance — an I dunno's I'd orter say succumstance, for it wa'n't" — His voice died away in an inarticulate murmur as the postoffice door closed behind him. — Youth's Companion.

BANK CASHIER WOOD.

New York, 1895

The Man Who Handles the Money of Jamaica People.

William L. Wood, cashier of the Bank of Jamaica, is widely known as a brisk, though cautious, business man, with a reputation for probity that is bombproof. He was born in Brooklyn in 1857, his father being the Hon. Alfred M. Wood, ex-mayor of that city and colonel of the fighting Fourteenth regiment, when it was doing its splendid service at the front in the late Rebellion. William L. is the colonel's only son. He was educated at Alexander Military academy, in White Plains, and after leaving school began his business career with a brokerage firm in Wall street. He soon developed keen business tact, a quality his employers were not slow to recognize, and gradually he was advanced to positions of greater importance, which afforded broader fields for the exercise of his faculties.

In May, 1889, the Bank of Jamaica was chartered, and the gentlemen interested in that institution offered him the position of cashier, which he accepted. His career in the bank speaks for itself. The splendid success that the institution has achieved is due largely to his careful and conservative management. Nothing could ever induce him to depart one iota from the line of policy which he, as cashier, laid down as being calculated to best conserve the interests of the bank. A year ago, when financial storms were wrecking monetary institutions all over the country, or battering wildly at their doors, the bank of Jamaica, with Mr. Wood at the helm, bravely weathered the storm, never once exhibiting the slightest signs of weakness. He is highly esteemed by the patrons of the bank for his uniform courtesy and his readiness to give attention to all matters which may come before him officially.

Mr. Wood was for many years connected with the Williamsburg athletic club, always having a fondness for athletic sports. He served a little short of seven years in the ranks of the Twenty-third regiment, and is at present a member of the Veteran association of company H. He lives in Queens, in a comfortable home that he built nine or ten years ago, and now that his father has returned from his duties in Italy, he has taken up his residence near him.

Like his father, Cashier Wood in politics is an ardent Republican. While he has done some hard work for that party, he never sought a political office, and never held one. It may be truthfully said of him that he would not take a political office, though it were offered to him on a golden salver. He gives strict attention to the business of the bank, and is never absent from his post, except when out of town, which rarely happens. To sum up, Mr. Wood is "all wool and a yard wide." — Brooklyn Times.

—Reprinted in The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, June 21, 1895, p. 8.

Sneak Thief at Levi Lynch's Home

New York, 1895

Woodhaven and Ozone Park News.

Harrison Tuttle is spending his vacation in Orange county.

Sunday afternoon a sneak thief entered the home of Levi Lynch, on Hatch avenue, and stole $10.

Charles Tucker is spending a week angling for weak fish. Charley has sent home some very nice ones.

Martin Rilling of the Twenty-Sixth ward, Brooklyn, is preparing to open a bakery at Woodhaven Junction.

Children's Day was observed in the Ozone Park Methodist church on Sunday evening. There was extra music prepared for the occasion by F. Luce. The morning sermon was by the Rev. William Ross.

Xavier Kumpf was buried on Sunday in Maple Grove cemetery. The funeral ceremonies were conducted wholly by the Odd Fellows' lodge, of which the deceased was an active member. About 200 Odd Fellows were in the procession and they made an excellent showing.


The Siacs crossed bats with the Giants of Brooklyn on Saturday and took them into camp after a hard struggle. Score: Siacs 13, Giants 9. The Siacs have secured a phenomenon for first base. He can fairly eat the ball. A large crowd enjoyed the game from start to finish.

An inquest was held Monday night by Coroner Nutt and a jury as to the cause of the death of the unknown man whose body was found in Maple Grove cemetery last month. The jury rendered a verdict of death by strangulation at the hands of parties unknown.

The funeral of Franz Eigenbrodt took place on Sunday. The Odd Fellows and several other organizations, with a band of music, escorted the remains to Broadway and Ocean avenue. Fully 250 men were in line. A large number of carriages followed the remains to Maple Grove cemetery.

The citizens of Union Course will hold a mass meeting this evening for the purpose of co-operating with the board of education in its efforts to provide adequate accommodations for pupils. The board has appointed a conference committee of forty citizens residing in the several parts of the school district to examine into the pressing needs.

The inquest on the boy Jerome Gainer, who shot himself while out walking with his sweetheart last week, was held on Wednesday night. Several witnesses were examined, among them Miss Blanche Hempstead, who was with him when he committed the deed. The jury rendered a verdict of death by his own hand.

A lady claiming to be the wife of Joseph Garcia appeared at Aqueduct on Friday, and created considerable excitement by claiming that her husband had been recreant. He is a well known resident of that place and is a member of the grocery firm of Van Brunt & Co. His partner a young lady and she was the especial object of the wife's wrath.

The Gillespie artificial ice company has erected a large building extending through from Ocean avenue to Lawn avenue fifty feet on each street, for the manufacture of artificial ice. They have invested nearly $30,000 in the plant and the citizens are taking great interest in the new venture. The first lot of ice was turned out last week, and now fifteen tons are made daily. The size of each cake of ice is 11x22x44 inches. The well from which the water is obtained is 15 feet in diameter and 50 feet deep.

The article in THE FARMER last week pricking up Coroner Nutt for apparent sympathy with an attempt to conceal the identity of the suicide found near Cypress Hills caused a genuine sensation in this village. The result was that the jury ascertained the deceased to be one Charles Schaefer, of Brooklyn. He is supposed to have taken his life during a recurring fit of suicidal mania. Investigation revealed that he was of excellent family and that his relatives were desirous of keeping his identity from the public prints.

William J. Howard, who has a goat farm near Aqueduct, has had three men arrested for slaughtering his goats to gratify a grudge. The men are locked up in the Town Hall. The farm, which covers an area of some 150 acres, is devoted to the breeding of goats from stock brought by Mr. Howard from Mexico. They are very thin and wiry, and have skins of peculiar texture, suited better to conversion into kid than that of almost any other breed of goats. The experiment is being made of feeding them on meadow grass and hay, on which they seem to thrive. The firm has a factory in Brooklyn, where the skins undergo treatment. When Mr. Howard reached the farm Thursday morning he found five of the goats slaughtered. Extreme brutality had been resorted to in the destruction of the animals, one having been struck with a knife in eighteen places. Then a second slaughter took place, when six animals were killed.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, June 21, 1895, p. 8.