The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1888-01-28
BrOadbrim'S New York Letter.


Rapid transit is yet in its infancy in our
sister city of BROOKLYN, but see in late
report that single line going through, not
the most populous portion of Brooklyn,
carried in 1887 thirteen millions of passen-
gers, and the deaths by accident were less
than one in million, and the injured
from all causes not one in hundred thous-
and. Not bad beginning that, and one
that speaks more than volumes for the care
and skill exercised in this perilous work.
While l write the city is being girdiorned
in every direstion with elevated roads, and
1t is said that when all of them are COM
pleted, and 1t is hoped that they will be
before the close of 1888, that the following
year will show a transportation record of
sixty millions of passengers, or about equal
to the entire population of the United
States. Long Island Is waking to uew
life. 1t is possible that the eastern end of
it may be made the terminal point for a new
line OF transatlantic greY-hounds, which,
built expressly for passengers, carrying no
freight, and providedwlth every luxury and
convenience that modern improvements
suggest, it is hoped will make the voyage
to the nearest point of the Irish coast in
four days, and thence by rail and rapid
steam to Holyhead
Many of the finest watering places in the
world can be found along those Long Island
beaches, and while New York will always
remain great commercial center, in point
of population the next decade will show
very active rival in Brooklyn.
Death stepped in to settle lawsuit which
for the past four years has furnished work
for the Courts, gossip for the town, and
abundant fees for the lawyers who have
waxed fat thereon, and whose grief is bit
terer than Racheps, as there are still two
hundred thousand dollars left on which they
never got their claws. In Brooklyn lived
an old merchant named Valentine who had
succeeded in making fortune of about half
a million of dollars in pork, lard and bacon
and after he had laid Mrs. Valentine No.
to rest beneath the daisies, he bethought
him that he would have good time and
being sixty himself, fell head over heels in
loYe with a blooming widow of thirty.
While in weeds fol her first beloved she
was the incest, mildest, sweetest creature
that ever wore a Widows cap. Like Bonnie
Annie Laurie her voice was low and sweet,
and when Valentine did a wooing go he got
a new scratch wig, dyed his eyebrows, put
on his Sunday suit; and to make a long
story short, in less than month she was
crowned with orange blossoms, and valen-
tine thought himself in paradise. It did
net take him twenty-four hours to find out
that he had made gigantic mistake. A
man may be very good judge of pork and
ham, he may be sound on bacon and saus-
ages-and yet get fooled on widow. Well
that was just Valentines case; and from
that time to the day of his death, which
occurred just four years after, he sat on the
stool of repentance and never got off, No
salty tears were wasted on Valentines
grave. One child, a son, was the result of
this unfortunate union, and Mr.. Valentine
had another son by his first wife to whom
he left S200, 900; to the widow the house she
lived in ami the income of 100000. She
sent for her father, mother and brother,
and the family got along very well till one
Doctor Richard appeared upon the scene,
and from that hour there was trouble in
the Valentine family. This self-willed
woman, who bad driven two husbands In
sorrow to their graves, became as putty in
the hands of this willy doctor, and at last
so scandalous did their conduct become
that her mother was forced to demonstrate
with her, and then in her rage she drove
her father and mother out OF the house to
starye. An appeal was made to the Courts
and she was compelled to pay them twelve
dollars week. At last her conduct be-
came so 1agrant with the doctor that the
relations of Mr.. Valentine declared she was
an unfit person 10 have charge of her son,
and the Court was appealed TO on the boy s
behalf, and he was finally taken from her
custody. As they tore the child from her
arms it was one of the most heart-rending
scenes ever seen in a court of justice. The
boy was carried on screaming for his moth