The Mayor Is Tired of It

New York, 1895

Ex-Mayor Patrick J. Gleason of Long Island City says that he is tired of having pistols flourished in his face by persons who happen to think that he has not treated them well, and he proposes going before the next Grand Jury to find out what it has to say in the premises.

John Griffin, who it is said fired two shots at the ex-Mayor on Saturday night, and then announced his intention of filling Gleason with lead, was released that same night by the police on his own recognizance. He was arraigned before Justice Duffy in the Police Court Monday morning and was fined $5 on a charge of disorderly conduct.

The ex-Mayor was not present, but his watchman, Patrick Downey, who wrested the weapon from Griffin, made a charge of assault in the first degree against Griffin, who gave bonds in the sum of $500 for his appearance in court.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, Feb. 15, 1895, p. 12.

Not to Be Reached

1895

The people of the extreme south of France, in the neighborhood of the Pyrenees, have a hard shift to live. Some of them gain a livelihood by taming bears.

Many others take to begging, which becomes a trade by itself, reasonably remunerative and not exactly dishonorable. Baron Haussmann, in his "Memoires," cites the case of one of these professional beggars who amassed a good property and finally became mayor of a large commune.

Even then he continued to ply his trade, especially in the bathing season, when many tourists visited the country. One of these outsiders was so taken aback at the sight of the mayor begging on the street that he remonstrated with the mendicant.

"I should think you would be ashamed," said the stranger, "you, a man holding so honorable an office."

"Office," said the mayor, "my office! Why, man, this is how I gained it." — Youth's Companion.

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."

The Reunion Is Over

From the Leon, Iowa, area, date unknown, circa 1900

It Was the Best and Most Successful Reunion Ever Held — People Were All Well Satisfied

The big reunion which has been looked forward to for months closed Saturday night, and it is not stretching it when we say that it was the biggest and best reunion we have ever held in this city. It looked rather gloomy when the reunion opened on Tuesday of last week with a cold rain but when the sun came out Wednesday morning everybody took heart, although the weather was a little too cold, and for the remaining four days there was a big attendance. On Thursday and Friday Mr. Roe Caster had to open up his meadow to teams, as hundreds could not find any place to hitch on the grounds, notwithstanding there were just the same number of hitchracks as last year, so this shows conclusively that on these days the crowds were larger than on any previous year.

The speakers during the reunion were the best we ever had, Judge W. E. Miller, of Bedford, delivering a fine address on Wednesday afternoon. On Thursday the speaker was Judge S. F. Prouty, of Des Moines, one of the most prominent men of the state. He was met at the depot by Clerk S. W. Kehler with his fine team and carriage, and a delegation of prominent citizens, headed by County Auditor Gill, and escorted up town to dinner. He spoke at the reunion grounds in the afternoon and the crowd was the largest and most attentive at any of the speeches, and his address seemed to please every man and woman in the vast audience. On Friday Col. M. L. Temple, of Osceola, was greeted with a large audience and his address was well received. The last speech of the reunion was made by Mayor V. R. McGinnis, and notwithstanding it was the closing day he was greeted with a big audience who had the pleasure of hearing Mr. McGinnis at his best, and there is no better speaker in the whole state on an occasion like this than Mayor McGinnis.

Excellent music was furnished throughout the reunion by the Garden Grove band, and a better band, or one more liberal with their music was never in this city. The boys are fine gentlemen and gave the very best of satisfaction, both to the public and the committee. It is one of the best bands in this part of the state. The Big Four Quartet from Humeston were also here the entire time, and these gentlemen were heartily endorsed by everybody. They were always ready to sing and there was no end to their repertoire of song, classical or rag time. In the evening they appeared as black face singers and their rag time music never grew old, the crowds always being eager for more. The committee made no mistake when they secured the Big Four Quartet.

The free attractions were the best ever put on by any reunion in southern Iowa, including Clark & Stonebraker in double trapeze, revolving ladders, tumbling and barrel jumping and they are artists in these lines. Zareli, the silver gymnast also made good with his tramp comedy contortions and slack wire walking and unicycle riding, juggling, and hand balancing and posing. He is a good one. There were also a number of other free attraction, including numerous boxing and wrestling matches, and there was something going on at one of the three stands all the time, so that it kept the people busy trying to see it all.

Friday was 111th Alaska day, and these jolly boys had a big special program offering numerous cash prizes for contests and sports of various kinds. The pie eating contests for men was won by Will Akes, who devoured something less than a dozen pies, John Vanpelt being a close second. In the boys pie eating contest Frank Cartwright won first prize and Paul Kenter the second money. Howard Eals of this city proved a wonder when it came to stowing away the most watermelon and he easily distanced all his competitors, but hasn't cared for melon since. There were six good wrestling matches during the day at which cash prizes were offered and they were all for blood, the winners being as follows:

1st — Clyde Pryor won from Floyd Powers.
2d — Steve Akes won from John Powers.
3d — Fred Young won from Clyde Pickering.
4th — Wm. Akes won from Perry Reynolds.
5th — Floyd Powers won from Forest Davenport.
6th — Guy Whitecar won from Jasper Jennings.

In the boxing contests Art Cowden won from Jap Carr, the latter taking a header into the lake from the platform to avoid his opponent. This match was followed by a hot one between Clyde Marvin and Carl Reynolds which the judges called a draw.

Fred Jay, the Davis City high diver, made a pretty dive from a fifty foot ladder into the lake, and as the result of a challenge between J. R. Bowsher and Charlie Akes, Bowsher made a fine high dive, going into the water like a lobster.

Mayor of Racine, Wis., Disclaims Wife's Baby

1920

Attacks Mate's Character in Reply to Her Divorce Action

RACINE, Wis. — William H. Armstrong, mayor of Racine, testified, in answering an action for divorce brought by Mrs. Armstrong, that he is not the father of a child born to her in September of last year.

He asserted he had denied the child from the day of its birth and that when a birth certificate had been sent to him he had crossed his name from it and sent it to Mrs. Armstrong by his 11-year-old daughter, Evelyn.

Denying cruelty charges brought by his wife, the mayor insisted she had never taken care of his home or properly prepared his meals and that the children were frequently ignored during a time when Mrs. Armstrong was out late at night day after day.

He said he had been made ridiculous by his wife's conduct in attending a masquerade party in tights, and that her constant falsehoods had made his home life unbearable.

Letter to Be Opened Century From Now

1914

AKRON, Ohio. — Mayor Rockwell wrote a letter to the person who will be mayor of Akron 100 years hence. The epistle tells the future mayor of the present debt, the names of all city officials, the problems confronting the municipality and the political situation in Akron in 1914.

The letter will be sealed and addressed to "His Honor, Mayor of Akron, 2014," marked with instructions not to be opened or molested until that year and placed in a bank deposit vault to lie for a century.

The salutation in the letter will fit either a man or a woman mayor.

Comment: So, I wonder what are the chances that this letter is still in the bank deposit vault waiting. Someone in Akron, please check into this.

ARLINGTON MAYOR SAYS CHASING HONEY BEES, RABBITS AND BOOZE IS TOO MUCH

Offers $25 for Evidence That Will Convict Bootlegger in His Town.

The miseries of a mayor have seldom been more picturesquely described than by J.W. Ruble, mayor of Arlington, Fayette county, Iowa, in an open letter published recently in the Arlington News in reply to a letter from the W.C.T.U. asking him to enforce the liquor laws.

A mayor's duties include not only hanging around the alleys looking for bootleggers, says Ruble, but also keeping men from beating their wives, seeing that the boys and girls don't fall off their sleds, and catching wild chickens, rabbits and honey bees.

Ruble further says that there is no bootlegger selling booze in Arlington "that I know and am sure of," and he offers $25 reward for evidence leading to the conviction of any liquor vendor.

Ask Pledge Fulfillment
The letter from the W.C.T.U. is as follows:

"Mr. J. W. Ruble, mayor of Arlington. Dear Sir: We, the members of the Women's Christian Temperance Union of Arlington, respectfully request that you fulfill your pre-election pledge, that if elected you would clear this town of bootlegging and selling of intoxicating drink, and put an end to the disgraceful disturbances that accompany drinking habits and customs -- that you would certainly enforce the law touching these things.

"We are making this request as citizens who have the good name of our city at heart, and are deeply grieved that there should be any occasion for people to give Arlington a bad reputation, or for there to be any condition that would cast a hurtful influence on our young people."

No 'Leggers He Knows of.
To this letter, signed by 34 women, the mayor replied:
"In answer to the above petition I will have to say that there is not a bootlegger selling booze in this town that I know and am sure of. I also know that there has been less booze sold in this town in the past year than in any one year since the act of prohibition was passed, and what is drunk here comes from out of this town.

"I doubt if there has been consumed or drunk five gallons of booze here in the past year; and to show these good ladies of this noble society where and how I stand, I will pay out of my own pocket $25 for evidence that will convict any bootlegger selling in this town.

Mentions Sheriff.
"Your whole society supported and voted for a sheriff in this county. What has he done? Not one of you voted for or supported me when I was elected as mayor and now you come asking to be helped out from under this great booze curse that this whole government can't stop; you expect a poor little mayor of a small town that can't even support a town marshal to do the business.

"I will also say that Arlington is one of the most peaceful and quiet towns in this county. The greater part of the signers of this petition I personally know, they are as good old grandmothers as ever lived and nine-tenths of them have not been on the streets this winter. How many of the above signers have seen one intoxicated person in the past year? You would have to answer, none! but still you say this is a bad town. Now, I want to ask the good old ladies of the above petition if it is not a fact that you have one or two most meddlesome members who have nothing else to do only gad around and stir up trouble. Some people hate themselves and all around them, and it is too bad such people have to live.

His Duties Many.
"I want to state more fully what the citizens, or some of them, expect of a town mayor; I have been called on to stop men from misusing their wives, stop children from using profane language, see that they go to school, some want me to furnish clothes for them, see that chickens don't run at large, see that the weeds are cut, that water runs in a natural course, sidewalks cleaned off, see that kids go home from school, catch all honey bees flying at large; if a kid loses his sled I am called on to hunt it and expected to do it; one lady, a good old soul like most of the above signers, came to see me about catching a rabbit that was running around her place, said it might eat up her berry bushes. I have been called on to kill dogs. Some people think a town mayor should hang around some back alley all the time, and if he did that they would report that he was after some other man's wife.

But He'll Hang On.
"What I have mentioned is just a small portion of a mayor's work; of course he gets big pay and must do something, and I am going to stand it until the women get to expecting me to haul their kids to school on a hand sled. I have been asked by the most of the ladies that have boys if I wouldn't keep my eye on them when they were on the street riding bobsleds, hitching on automobiles and such like; of course I do. Now if I should say one cross word to one of these boys their mother would cuss me only as a woman can.

"Any time any citizen of this town wants to file any information for drunkenness, or any other just cause, get out and do your duty and get this $25 that I have offered. Don't expect your mayor to do all your dirty work."

Comment: Handwritten on the article, it looks like "Did Jim do all this". No source or date, but on the flip side is a Hills Bros. Coffee ad that is Copyright 1929.