Utilizing the Mayor

Dec. 1919

Several infuriated citizens took it on themselves to jump all over Mayor Chamberlin last week because of a current rumor that "the rest of the towns were getting all the coal they needed," says the Pleasant Hill (Mo.) Times. But the mayor took it good-naturedly and said that's what a mayor is for.


"Nobody Home."

Real prosperity item from the Springfield (Mo.) Leader: Despite the cold weather in Springfield during the past week, the city jail has not yet had any of its "annual guests" who apply for refuge from the elements. The record made by the city's "hotel" so far this year has been remarkable, Chief Rathbone said, as in previous years the holdover usually was in great demand by persons known to the police department as "sleepers."

Drifted Together; Hogs Freeze Fast

1909

Sad Plight of Porkers Near Lake City During Blizzard.

LAKE CITY, Feb. 20. — Fred Fry, who lives north of town, relates a mighty interesting incident which occurred on his farm the night of the big storm.

The following day, Mr. Fry heard some hogs squealing and he went out to investigate. The sounds seemed to come from a snow drift and he went over to the drift and, lo and behold a couple of hogs emerged from that drift. The astonishing part was the fact that they had lived through the night in that drift, but that was not the most astonishing part. When those hogs came from that drift they were frozen together, frozen so hard that when they were separated the hide came off and the hogs bled profusely.

It certainly was a peculiar experience.

—Des Moines News, Des Moines, IA, Feb. 21, 1909, p. 3.

Cold Winter Signs

Nov. 1917

There is always a great deal of predicting by old-fashioned prognosticators at this time of year, of what kind of a winter we are going to have.

Some are saying the winter will be a cold one, because the corn husks and the fur on the animals are thicker than usual. It sounds reasonable. But, it really isn't. The corn husks and the fur are thicker because we had a cool summer, not because we are going to have a cold winter.

Then too, these wiseacres say the birds left early and that means a long, cold winter, which is also arguing from a lack of knowledge. Most birds have a certain time for leaving the northern latitudes and leave on schedule time, irrespective of the weather. The swallows go while we are still drinking ice tea and hunting the shady side of the street. But the hardier birds, like the robins, bluebirds, meadowlarks, stay as long as the food supply is good. A well-fed bird is a warm bird. That is why we sometimes have large flocks of robins wintering with its even in zero weather.

On the other hand, the fact that we are over 700 degrees behind on temperature for the year doesn't mean that this will be all straightened out this year. It may take 10. So the only thing to do is to sit tight and take what comes. A warm winter would be pleasant, but a cold one is better for us. — Ohio State Journal.

A Sailor and a Chow Dog

Printed Jan. 1908

At the hour when women were making afternoon calls one day last week a man attired in the uniform of a sailor in the navy attracted a good deal of attention in West Fifty-fourth street, New York, by something he carried under his right arm, a something that looked at first like a white bundle, but which, on closer inspection, proved to be a Chinese chow dog that the sailor was trying to sell.

The little animal was unusual enough in itself to catch the eyes of the women who stopped to speak to the sailor about it. But more unusual than that was the way in which the tiny pet was clothed as protection against the cold. He not only wore a coat with "sleeves" for his front and hind legs, but he also had his furry head covered with a veritable baby's hood, with a ruffle around the front of it, the cap being tied under his neck with red ribbons.

The "costume" attracted quite as much notice as the chow dog did so long as its owner remained in sight on the block.


Seeking Experience

Up to the age of 16 Dick had retained the proper scorn of things feminine. Then he went to dancing school and fell smitten by the charms of several youthful Eves. Accordingly, Dick approached his father and requested theater tickets for two.
Father complied and merely asked as he turned over the seats, "Which girl is it?"
"I'm going to take Mabel," responded Dick.
"Then she's the one you like best?" father continued.
Dick turned a superior and pitying eye upon his parent. "Oh, no! I don't like her best. You don't understand the situation, father. It isn't the girl I care about. It's the experience I want."

Catching Cold, Cough, Consumption

1874

Antique Medical Advice That Might Still Be Good — Who Knows?

A large number of fatal diseases result from taking cold, and often from such slight causes, apparently, as to appear incredible. But, although the causes are various, the result is the same, and arises from the violation of a single principle, to wit, cooling off too soon after exercise. Perhaps this may be more practically instructive if individual instances are named, which, in the opinion of those subsequently seeking advice in the various stages of consumption, were the causes of the great misfortune, premising that when the cold is once taken, marvelously slight causes serve to increase it for the first few days — causes which under ordinary circumstances, even a moderately healthful system would have warded off.

Rachel the tragedienne, increased the cold which ended her life by insufficient clothing in the cars, traveling from New York to Boston; this was her own statement.

The immediate cause of the last illness of Abbott Lawrence, the financier and the philanthropist, was an injudicious change of clothing.

An eminent clergyman got into a cold bed in mid-winter, fifteen minutes after preaching an earnest discourse; he was instantly chilled and died within forty-eight hours.

A promising young teacher walked two miles for exercise, and on returning to his room, it being considered too late to light a fire, sat for half an hour reading a book, and before he knew it a chill passed over him. The next day he had spitting of blood, which was the beginning of the end.

A mother sat sewing for her children to a late hour in the night, and noticing that the fire had gone out, she concluded to retire at once; but thinking she could "finish" in a few minutes, she forgot the passing time, until an hour or more had passed, and she found herself "thoroughly chilled" and a month's illness followed to pay for that one hour.

A little cold taken after a public speech in Chicago, so "little" that no attention was paid to it for several days, culminating in the fatal illness of Stephen A. Douglas. It was a slight cold taken in mid-summer, resulting in congestion of the lungs, that hurried Elizabeth Barrett Browning to the grave within a week. A vigorous young man laid down on an ice chest on a warm summer's day, fell asleep, waked up in a chill which ended in confirmed consumption, of which he died three years later. A man in robust health and in the prime of life began the practise of a cold bath every morning on getting out of bed and standing with his bare feet on a zinc floor during the whole operation; his health soon declined, and ultimately his constitution was entirely undermined.

Many a cold, cough, and consumption are incited into action by pulling off the hat or overcoat as do men, and the bonnet and shawl as do women, immediately on entering the house in winter after a walk. An interval of at least five or ten minutes should be allowed, for however warm or "close" the apartment may appear on first entering, it will seem much less so at the end of five minutes, if the outer garments remain as they were before entering. Any one who judiciously uses this observation, will find a multifold reward in the course of a lifetime.

Freezing an Easy Death

1914

Freezing to death, writes a medical authority, is preceded by a drowsiness which makes the end painless — the body actually feels warm and goes comfortably to sleep. Experiments have been made with animals to show just how freezing to death proceeds.

In one of these experiments, in which the animal was placed in a temperature of 125 to 150 degrees below zero, the breathing and heart beats at first were quickened, the organic heat of the body actually rising above normal.

This rising showed a sudden and an intense effort on the part of functions to preserve the body's temperature. Then the violent heart action gave out suddenly and death came when the temperature of the body dropped to 71 degrees.


In a "Higher" Grade

That juvenile human nature remains pretty much the same always would seem freshly indicated by the quaint incident related in a famous author's recent reminiscences of his childhood. The said author had an older brother whom he admired hugely, and whose society he desired to enjoy as much as might be. There came a time, however, when the older boy revolted against the too frequent companionship of the younger, and thus gravely explained the grounds of his superiority:

"I play with boys who curse and swear."

Young Man Dies of Exposure, Farmer Turned Him Out of the House

Stout, Iowa, 1903

FOUND DEAD IN BUGGY SHED

Unknown Man Turned Out of Farmer's Home at Stout Dies of Exposure.

Dike, March 3. — A case of alleged inhuman treatment resulting in the death of a young man and subsequent developments have aroused considerable indignation at Stout, a village seven miles north of here, near where the affair took place.

A young man whose identity is not known appeared in that vicinity and secured employment as a farm hand on the farm of Claus De Vrise. Friday night the farm hand and De Vrise's son went to the town of Stout and the farm hand became intoxicated. It is not known whether the son had been drinking, but the two had some misunderstanding and when they arrived home, it is stated, De Vrise turned the hired man out of the house, he now claims, because of his intoxicated condition.

The young man was attired only in his overalls, shirt and a thin pair of socks. The young man was drunk and wandered to a buggy shed, where he fell asleep in a pool of water. The next morning De Vrise noticed the man lying in the shed and sent to Stout for the constable to arrest him. When the constable arrived, however, the man was dead.

De Vrise by this time had evidently become alarmed and a hurried consultation was held. No official inquest was held, and after the conference the body was carried to town, placed in a binder crate and taken to the depot, where they asked Agent Walker which would be the cheapest way to ship the corpse to Iowa City, by freight or express.

The agent refused to ship the body until he had a physician's certificate as to the cause of death and the body was properly boxed for shipment. It is said that this was done and that the remains have been sent to Des Moines, presumably to a medical college.

Nothing can be learned as to the young man's identity. The case has excited a great deal of talk. The treatment he was accorded by De Vrise and the haste exhibited in trying to get his remains out of the way has aroused the indignation of many and it is probable an investigation will be set on foot.

—Davenport Daily Republican, Davenport, Iowa, March 4, 1903, page 2.


It May Be Manslaughter.

Stout, March 7. — Claude De Vrise, a farmer of this community is likely to have to answer to the charge of manslaughter. De Vrise employed an unknown man as a farm hand. The hand went to town and became intoxicated and when he came home was turned from the house by his employer. In his drunken condition he lay down in his buggy shed in the cold and died. He was found by his employer who placed the body in a binder box and shipped it to Des Moines supposedly to a medical college. The neighbors have asked the coroner to investigate.

—Dubuque Telegraph-Herald, Dubuque, Iowa, March 7, 1903, page 5.


Inhuman Treatment of a Young Man at Stout.

From the New Hartford Review we glean the following ghastly details of a strange case near the new town of Stout, in the southern part of Butler county. The Review says:

Excitement has been running riot in the little town of Stout since Friday night, over the alleged inhuman treatment of a young man, which resulted in his death. At the hour of going to press the Review is unable to say what the final outcome of the affair will be.

A few days ago a young man, whose identity is not known, appeared in that vicinity and secured employment...

[From there the article repeats the details above, with DeVries' name having this more likely spelling.]

—The Iowa Recorder, Greene, Iowa, March 1, 1903, page 1.

Locked His Man in Ice Box to Force Payment of Bill

1911

LOCKED HIS MAN IN ICE BOX

Unusual Way of Collecting Bill. But It Didn't Work.

Washington, June.—Frank L. Averill, president of the Arcade Market company, decided a day or two ago to use moral suasion on Samuel Boxwell, a stand keeper in the market in the collection of rent for cold storage which Boxwell owes and when Boxwell entered one of the cold storage rooms to get some meat Averill locked the door on him and informed him through a speaking tube that he could come out when he settled. Boxwell refused to come to terms.

Averill kept him in the cold storage room for thirty minutes and then let him out, and Boxwell was nearly frozen. He swore out a warrant for Averill and the latter was fined $25 in the police court for assault. Judge Pugh in assessing the fine remarked that imprisonment for debt had been abolished in the District of Columbia a century ago.

—Indiana Evening Gazette, Indiana, Pennsylvania, June 5, 1911, page 3.