Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-02-20
FROM TIE BAY.
HAY FEVER A NEW FEVER AT
THE METROPOLIS.
Chris Buckley's "Infooance"-Wh
Called Chestnut The Tn
favorable Sides of Life.

SAN Francisco, February II, 1885,
have read in Eastern papers great
many explanations of the origin of the
word chestnut" as slang term, but 1
think / have struck the true solution.
The chestnut on its native heath, and in
its season, is most profitable nut but it is
a very sensitive article, and easily affected
by climatic changes and is likewise often
troubled with worms. Hence the chest
nut, when out of his element, is something
stale, and the term, chestnut" is applied
10 stale story or a stale joke. bought
some roasted Italian chestnuts the other
day from street vendor, and came to a
full realization of what vegetable decay
means, but. fortunately, didn't get worms.
1 don't like roasted worms, so / gave the
nuts TO a small newsboy. Small boys
don't care for worms; they are used to
them. | was also led TO the reflection
about chestnuts by noticing how the San
Francisco newspapers TEEN with them. You
will read as fresh Geographic news in San
Francisco newspaper, with all the appro-
pirate headings, some old yarn that has
gone the rounds of the world, and even
been translated into Timbuctoo language.
The originator OF the newspaper chestnut
was James Gordon Bennett, The elder, who
AS have read, was pestered one day with
cries for copy" and who got out of the
dilemma by telling the foreman to take the
cobwebbed and dusty accumulations of re-
print which had numbered the hooks for
years. to set 'em up and get out Sunday
edition. This, l have heard, was the
initiation of Sunday editions of American
newspapers. But perhaps / am falling
,snto the chestnut mood myself
ANG TAI DUCK.
1t is fortunate that this now notorious
Chinese murderer-the slayer of Mr.. and
Mrs. Wickersham in Sonoma county-has
been captured in Yokohama and fully iden-
tified-tortunate for the newspapers and
their readers. Most all old Sacramentans
will remember the case of Wells, the MUIR
derer, who was recognized and arrested by
the Constable or Town Marshal in almost
every town on the Pacific coast, and who
like the Bender family, hasn't been
caught yet. If the Chinaman had not been
overhauled in Japan, he would have devel-
oped into Wells or Bender case 1t is
only few daya ago that fresh Con-
stable in Fresno arrested Ang Tai
Duck and was sure of his man. While
this Chinaman committed terrible crime
and one deserving of the direst punish
ment the law could inflict, did it ever occur
to those who are clamoring SO loudly for
his punishment that two young white men
short time ago wantonly shot and NOR
tally wounded an inoffensive Chinese fish
erman at Stockton, and left him to his fate
in his boat, in which he lay helpless for
twenty-four hours before discovered? A
crime against Chinaman by white man
does not justify a crime by a Chinaman
against a white man, but let us be Just and
punish either offender strictly and i'm
partially.
HAY FEVER,
Which, / believe is a form of catarrh. has
hitherto been considered disease peculiar
TO the country lying east of the Allegha-
MES, bat is said to be now quite common
in San Francisco and Oakland. Tradition
says that this ailment was invented by
Henry Ward Beecher, WHO used to get va
cation from Plymouth Church to 90 and
explore for it in the White mountains.
Beecher has son who used TO row mis-
sionary boat for the conversion of the In
dams in Alaska waters, but who is now a
revenue official in that section of country
and ii may be possible that the Young man
has waited hay fever down here from his
far northern cline. If report speaks true
young Beecher, like all ministers sons, is
considerable of waiter" and waited a
good many things around the Alaska re-
gion which were quite novel TO the natives.
and even astonished the oldest white resi-
dents.
To come back to hay fever, there is
strong prevalence of catarrh, asthma, influ-
enza and kindred ailments in San Fran
CISCO and the towns close to the bay shore.
This may be attributable to strong north
winds, and consequent clouds of pene-
trating dust. They are watering the prin-
cipal streets these days, but the ground
drinks up the water like Democratic pol
Itcian getting outside of bottle of whis-
ky. The soil of San Francisco is as absorb
ent as mining stock broker to a mud-hen's
coin, or IS an Oakland hotel of the pocket
book of a transient guest, and the next day
alter heavy rain-storm the streets will be
as dry as temperance lecturer
SHORT STOPS.
l noticed the following in a San Fran
cisco Democratic paper the other dav
- Hancock added to the obligations the
country owed him by quietly dying with a
boil on his neck, rather than write a book
about the war; This moves me to take
she liberty of remarking that, as General
Hancock was a Democrat it is not pre-
sumable that he was capable of writing a
book about the war, or anything else. Any
chump can have a boil on his neck if he
We have only had two severely sanguin-
airy affairs since my last letter. In one in
stance hoodlum killed the Waterman in
a hoodlum clearinghouse because he was
requested to behave himself. In the other
a long-standing feud between father and
son, named Whalen, eliminated in the
son killing the father with a Ratchet and
hammer, and attempting his own life by
cutting his throat and stabbing himself
twice in the breast. The elder Whalen
appears to have been a hard, overbearing
man, imbued with a hatred for the son,
which was not lessened by the
fact that the son sided with his
mother against his father, III reference to
some property which Mrs. Whelan held in
her own right. and of which the old man
desired TO obtain possession, though him
self possessing considerable property The
son was hoodlum, a thief and desperate
character. and had been in State Prison,
with which fact the father constantly
tainted him. The family lived a cat-and.
dog life, with constant chickering's and
threats against life. The son is a brute,
but it looks as if there was an element of
heredity in the case-that if the father had
been good the son would not have been so
bad
The latest official defalcation is by
Frank Murphy, Chief Clerk of the Justices
Courts = nice, fat position even if
honestly filed. Mr.. Murphy's little slip is
politely denominated in Democratic circles,
" shortage in his accounts" bnt Mr. MUIR
ply has been superseded. nevertheless, and
will probably not shine as a great Demo-
cratic light in the ensuing campaign. 1t is
not known that he has gone to join his
friend, Mccarthy, but he is, nevertheless,
invisible to the naked eye of the police
officers. He is believed to have taken
suburban residence within few blocks of
the new City Hall.
The appointment of Franks as United
States Marshal is another of President
Clevelana's thunder-claps from clear sky
on that portion of the Democracy which
erstwhile SO loudly boosted of its :" in
fiuence' at Washington. Mr.. Buckley,
who, on the advent into power of our