davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Wichita eagle., 1889-12-15
KILLED BY A WAGON POLE,

| An instance Of death being so sudden as to
be remarkable is reported by Capt Charles
Du Moulin, who served in the One Hundred
and Forty-i1fth New York volunteer regi-
ment in the war Of the rebellion. On a march
his regiment halted near persimmon tree.
1t was an unusually large one, and one Of the
soldiers climbed up among the smaller
branches to gather the fruit. The bough he
stood on broke under him, and he fell in such
way that he was caught on another limb
and hung head down. His comrades, seeing
that he could not extricate himself, went i'm
mediately to his assistance and had him on
the ground almost at once, but he was dead
before they got him down. The same officer
lost another man in a singular way. He was
lying on the ground when cannon ball
struck the earth twenty feet from him, and,
passing directly under the man, emerged ten
feet away on the other side of him The man
was not touched, but he was instantly killed.
The old joke OF giving person one half of
seidlitz powder first, and then the other
half is particularly dangerous one, and has
been known to result fatally. 1t is looked
upon by fools, however, as being funny, just
as the other joke of pulling a chair from I'M
der some person who is about to sit down.
Probably people of weak minds will never
leave off doing this last thing, though it is
very often fatal.
One particularly sad case in which a terri
BILE death occurred from a similar injury, vas
that of a young bride in Boston who slipped
while going down stairs. She fell in a sitting
position and slid down several OF the steps,
humping on each one as she slid Her sister
was looking at her and they both laughed
merriiy over the accident, for she felt no
pain and did not imagine that she was hurt
Some weeks afterward, however, she had the
first symptoms of coming paralysis, and this
developed slowly but steadily until it became
complete, and ultimately caused her death
FATAL FALLS.
Cases in which death is caused by fall are
too common to attract wide attention, but
two instances very similar in character are
worthy of mention because of their pecu-
Garity. One was that of woman in Nor
Wichita eagle., 1889-12-15

The Usage t1bs Of Indixzs, whose rss<rvs-
ton - between EsnsAs AID tbe Cyrex oorn.ry,
are Eve times 81 rseh ~ TIE average 1t
Americana, Ten tauss ~ rtch ~ shs svgSEs
Of Engishusea, aad the Preach and IssaaAss
are pazy>Ez IN oonp~rSun- Th9s are sxz-css
tie Osagss 90 p~anil,~ r'ecpe. and none Il
want. exo~y. that insatlabse san4 Tat
always wants mor.. Tb~~e ass L cd Il sa~xs,
according 70 ie<s ysax's e~.sn Tsey axvs
Ia the rnisAd ssasss rsUy C.1s G's Of
their own rnooey, drsw1nx p,~ emit iz.rr-
80. THIS ar1o1uss 20 . enEoas IL S.f3
apioo~ fer tie ~soss ns.ioo-rsea- ~Su.~a
saS ehiIerez
ps. b>~st~s tets they hAr~ i.tD.oo scrss
q lazd, eSsAl 20 tza shrai i.o0 .z~sp<sn,.
Tbs AID 10 m.ssy nns cd sr~h-s. and
vouk al FOR 81 sversSs a $40 al sGrs. 90
SO 900 se~ e.rt inaistssA's po~tzH- TIA
rzsaks. ssch DktvsdsA4 Gags ln6tss worth
SIsirz Each fssa1y pc~~Ss &c 30 co "a
sywaxs and o. h.a6 Ct t. (. - b tn<sus-
r1oss. .ssa szG~~prssns. can grow tio4e
worth u crvys year On ss SyoS acrss q
lsad. he = r.is<4 r<r=s&asety as<zss ssas
AID above fear q sa2i -fiss<kxzrx De-
s.se<E
Wichita eagle., 1889-12-15

Southworth was married at IS years Of age,
and her husband lived year and half.
Pettus solicited an introduction, with the
melancholy result
1t is singular how one horror will induce
another. Scarcely had the public got over
the shock occasioned by the announcement
of this affair than Brooklyn policeman,
who had been followed or believed himself
to be followed by woman, in a supposed
temporary fit of insanity blew out his brains.
Patrolman Mullin was found dead in his bed
with letter which goes far to explain mat
tiers. In this letter occurs the following: II
am accused by party who has followed me
on my first night and say for the last five
months. Her effort was either to break me
or bleed me-"
Wichita eagle., 1889-12-15

"He was always a rascal" said r. E. Nor
ris, the painter, at $40 South Fourth street,
speaking OF Mark Twain. Il was born and
raised in Hannibal and know when Mrs.
Clemens Marks mother) moved from Florida,
Monroe county, to Hannibal. Mark was q
dull, stupid, slow going fellow, but he was
full of prauks and while he didn't do the
meanness, he planned it and got other boys
TO do it, We went TO school to Dr. Meredith
and Mark always sat near the foot of the
class He never took any interest in books
and never saw him study his lessons He
left school and went to learn the printing
business, and soon after that left Hannibal
and went to steamboating.
Il staid at school, got q good education,
and am a painter, while Mark is million
aire 1t is q scandalous fact that, as boy
from 10 to Il years of age, Mark was a dull,
stupid fellow, aud il was the wonder Of the
town as to what end would be his. He was
pointed out by mothers as boy that would
never amount to nothin'. if he did not actu-
ally come TO some bad end. And be was the
most homely Lad in school, too. Prsnksf
can think of dozen Of EN-, and his 'Huckle-
berry Finn is FIJI Of Hannibal episodes
worked over i read that with as much in
terest as would diary of Hannibal KEEP.
during my school days Mark is three years
older than myself, but be was always in
class OF boys two or three years younger than
himself. st. Joseph Mo- News
The Smoke Nuisance.
Patent devices, while they may be good,
are by no means necessary for the prevention
OF smoke in & locomotive or in . stationary
plant, atsirms as high authority Is The Rail-
way Review in which the following recently
appeared: An intelligent fireman may solve
tie problem wisa but little expense to his
smploger By admitting air through the fire
door and placing dehec.or Just inside of it,
1r by some other simple and inexpensive
manner dependent upon the construction Of
the furnace. A change was recently made
II a furnace nv inserting g number OF air
tubes through the brick work in much the
aHe manner as .hcy are put In q locomotive
8reb-ox, and the chimney. which had previ-
os.sly emitted q large amount Of smoke. was
almost clear. Recently there has been ex-
h!o.ted in London EetAsd in w'fsca The coal
before Use 10 trsatsd chemically, which 70
suits in 10 6essricrat;on Of re heat proGuc-
Iag qualities q the coal, while il prevents is
oarniAg with an excess Of s.o3xl. The coal
seems TO be hardened by this process. which
i said 70 cost not mere than twelve cents Q
.cQ
Wichita eagle., 1889-12-15

bowed him, and put five bullets into him from
behind, causing instant death. She was at
once taken to the tombs, where for several
days she remained in hysterical condition.
Like all such affairs, there is a history
which goes far back of the tragedy. u.
Pettus became intimate with Mrs. South
worth several years ago, when-so it is
claimed by her friends-after taking her one
evening to the American Institute fair he in
vited her to visit an acquaintance. They
say that he took her to a strange house
where he gave her wine which was drugged,
and thus accomplished her ruin. Her sister
declares that the trouble worked upon her in
such way as to produce temporary fits of
insanity. a letter was found on Pettus from
woman he was apparently taking care Of
Besides all this he had lawful wife
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STORY.
The friends of Mr.. Pettus aver that Mrs.
Southworth has for years blackmailed him.
Wichita eagle., 1889-12-15

wanted his sigma
ture and some Of
his handwriting
He wrote a note 10
Mr.. Winants, cash
ier Of the Midland
Natio a i hank.
forging 5ir. Pratt 9
name, and asking
that any accommo-
dalton Ar. Chase
might ask be ex-
tended. Mr.. Win
q Z IS, suspecsing
nothing. allowed
him to obtain 81, 900
on a draft Oh a
mythical person In
Wichita eagle., 1889-12-15

before tho court The Society tor the Pre-
vention of Cruelty to Children prosecuted
Mrs Hamilton, bringing forward the girls to
testify.
Minnie Starnberg, one of them, is niece
of Mrs Hamilton She was employed in
giving baths to men and women at the es-
Enlistment When brought into court she
wept bitterly. Her aunt brought her to the
United States year ago, from Sweden, and
at once took her into her establishment. The
other girl, Mamie Wallace, was an Ameri-
Wichita eagle., 1889-12-15
PIANO DUET.

hand organ were selections from the operas,
tie "Miserere," The Heart Bowed Down
aad tunes OF like classic character.
Where Did You Get That Hat" and
Only "a Picture OF Fer Boy" have usurped
TIE place of those Incompatible old-time
melodies above alluded 70; not, however, be
cHlISe TIE -tall-.7 musician was t1-e- u 80
ing tts-n. but because the eXlgencies or his
business demanded the change.
IL Is curious fact that the persmbulating
piano finds more favor IN the wealthier por-
items OF the city taan the organ In fact, a
good instrument. often excites the envy Of
the young lady who OWES 500 piano, and
who fails 70 produce as good music as that
tl,rned out by the crank Tie organ grind
srs say that it is a very common occurrence
FOR the ,aeiiss of Fifth and Madison avenues.
% try and play duet with "a. stress instru-
nlsnt when the latter Is playing familiar
air This they ind II extremely difficult 70
70, b>cslse tie street piano keeps absolutely
'xsc. time
4a2-2e- -e-Son- for TIC failure Of the duet
Wichita eagle., 1889-12-15

drew the money he
had 1t converted
into gold and pack
ed some $4,000 of
it into two tin cans,
the lids of which
were afterward Sc
curely soldered on
These precio u S
packages he carried
in his trunk, ready
on any alarm TO be
placed In conceal
ment. When b Q
went to Brace
bridge the town in
Wichita eagle., 1889-12-15

exhibition at Boston, which will continue un.
til January. Seven and half acres of floor
space are required wherein to display the
work of the various men who make ships
and their parts and appurtenances. A note
worthy object is the reproduction in Grand
hall of Mr. Edward Burgess latest yacht, the
Quickstep. The grand canal on which are
exhibited models of every sort of vessel IS
attractive. and there is a complete illustra-
ton of the fisheries marine of the United
Wichita eagle., 1889-12-15

| only twenty-six keys, and the maker often
| finds it difficult job to get his harmony
| and accompaniment in so small a COM
pass. This will account for the departure
| from the score of piece in many cases when
| heard on the hand organ.
A person not conversant with the facts
would be surprised to see the loving care that
an Italian organ grinder takes of his instru-
ment. His care is mainly exercised in guard
ing against the inroads of croton bugs A
good deal of glue is used in making an organ.
The croton bugs get inside the organ and
eat out the glue, seriously injuring the in
strument. In order TO protect his organ
from tie bugs the organ grinder first wraps
the instrument in an oil skin cover, and over
this is placed stout cloth. When in repose
the organ is slowed under the bed, where all
the valuables are kept Rent is compara-
lively high in the crowded tenement dis
tricts where these Italians i've some of them
paying as much as IS per month for a single
room. In order to fad space to accommo-
date their household gods, in many cases
the bed is raised half way to the ceiling. I'm
der the bed the organ is placed after being
carefully oiled and overhauled.
Many OF the readers of this article will re-
member the time, not many years ago, when
the hand organs were ornamented with
little red curtains in the front of the irstru-
nlents, behind which danced and courtesied
number of small puppets. Among these was
one that held out plate for pennies. The
little red curtain is gone now and the puppet
no longer holds out the plate, because the
children of younger generation were so
much tickled with the performance of this
INF hot hoy in oI
blocked the sidewalks. The musicians be-
came alarmed at these too popular demon
STATIONS, and for fear Of arrest they laid away
the figures, presumably forever.
The same holds good with regard to the
monkeys. There was time when a hand
organ was incomplete without the monkey,
but some vicious animals among the monkeys
bit little children on a few occasions and the
city authorities banished the monkeys to the
country, where they can occasionally now be
seen. New York supported four monkey
trainers four years ago. There is not one in
the city at the present time Those monkeys
that are taken into the city are never ex-
hibited within the corporate limits Of New
York
The monkey is kept when at home in box
especially constructed for him near the stove
in cold weather. 1t receives more attention
than the children, and its every want is at
tended to more carefully than those of an in
FAINT. The cost of a green monkey is from
SIS to S25. To break oae of these little animals
for hand organ use is an extremely difficult
job. When the monkey is properly broken
his value is increased to between one hundred
and two hundred dollars, according to his pro-
fciency and strength.
ERNEST JARROLD.
Boston's Marine Exhibition.
Wichita eagle., 1889-12-15

leader OF a band OF
pickpocsetS. He
was born il Fo-
land, was a wild
over and was q be-
nevolent look ing
old man. For thirty
years he was known
10 tine police as a
receiver of stolen
goods. In 1877, in
com pany with
m e III bers of his
family, he robbed
William Unison,
an old farmer, who
had sold his farm,
Wichita eagle., 1889-12-15
9ailg eagle
QUEER KILLINGS.
Some of the Remarkable Wavs
in Which Death Comes.
FATAL WORK OF AN UMBRELLA.

It Brought James Hymns Life to a Sudden
End-Alive with a Bullet Hole in His
and Sneezes Which Rxought the Grim
Monster.
1t has been said that nothing is known in
the realm of thought which seems to have
been untouched by the immortal Bard of
Avon. Whether this be an exaggeration or
not, it serves the present purrsee to quote
the saying, for Hamlet had certainly re-
hected on the ease with which human life
may be ended before he said, when he
himself might his quietus make with bare
bodkin"
Wichita eagle., 1889-12-15

Boston without going through the ci,s:ou.ary
forms Then Hsston fed The detectives
traced him to Galveston and from there 20
San Francisco.
At 'Frisco' asaton continued his sorxeries,
and lived very high, spending his money az
fast e. he got L. Heaton was ;zker. back z,
Kansas Civ
Wichita eagle., 1889-12-15

them down. In the Fourth and Fifth wards
OF New York, an organ or piano grinder Is
known in the vernacular as a Guinea. :"
They derive this title from the fact that it
was formerly the custom of the newly landed
Italian emigrants to buy guinea pig as soon
as they landed in this country to fatten for
the table. This custom prevailed to such an
extent that it was common sight to see an
Italian coming up Broadway with a pig I'M
der his arm, and SO the boys in the rougher
locality came to call them 'Guineas"
The Italian emigrant takes to playing the
organ because he finds it the readiest method
of earning a living Besides this he is natu-
rally musical, and the strains of the organ,
however crude, satisfy that passionate desire
for harmony which is part of the Italian
nature. No matter how ignorant he may be
of the theory Of music, his innate knowledge
of the accord of sweet sounds teaches him
when his instrument is out OF tune His rep
ertoire of tunes is changed usually about
once every year. This is done by the inser
ton OF new cylinder into his instrument
In making this change in programme the
manufacturer puts one tune upon the cylin-
der, and then sends for the owner OF the in
strument to let him hear how it sounds. If
it suits him, the owner submits the titles Of
several new songs which he wishes to play.
These songs are then Incorporated into the
instrument. He is guided in the selection Of
these tunes by the requests of the children
whom he meets in his daily rounds. The
children buy the ballad sheets containing the
freshest songs, learn the words, and wait till
the organ grinder comes around in order to
learn the tunes. In this way the organ grin
der finds out what tunes are popular.
This fact will no doubt account for the
marked change in the character of hand
organ music within the past three years
Almost every observant person will remem-
Der that the airs formerly played on the
Wichita eagle., 1889-12-15

Pc titus was shot
down by Mrs Han
nah Southworth. is
another of those af-
fairs which sudden
~ bring to light the
lives Of c@tain men
of wealth End infu-
ence. Maj. Pettus,
it will be remem-
bered, had just ar
rived in New York
on a ferry boat
from Brooklyn one
morning not very
long ago. Mrs.
SOuthWOrth fol-
Wichita eagle., 1889-12-15

1t is not improbable that the Pettus-South-
worth affair SO worked on Mullins mind in
connection with his own similar trouble as to
produce temporary insanity.
SHOT BIS TWO CHILDREN.
One of the most heartrending affairs that
has occurred of late IS the attempted murder
of two children by letter carrier named
Smith in New York. During the blizzard OF
1887 Smith distinguished himself by carrying
the mail in spite of the storm. He contract
ed a bad cold IN doing SO, which brought on
consumption. Not long ago, after quarrel
with his wife, she left him, taking with her
their two children, his savings bank book
and s27 in cash. Soon after he received a
letter from her, hich read as follows:
JIxxIE-The children are boarding at 5O7 East
Eighty third street with lady by the name Of
Mrs. Kate Smith. You go there at any time
and get them L,zztk
Wichita eagle., 1889-12-15
his skull was badly fractured.

| his skull was badly fractured.
| A still more remarkable case is on the rec
ords of the Chambers street hospital of q
| man who was struck behind the ear by the
| shaft of wagon as he was lodging across
| the street. The shaft penetrated his head to
| the depth of an inch and a half, carrying
ahead of it splintered disk of the same diam
eter with itself, which was broken, or rather
cut, out of the skull by the blow The man
walked unaided to the hospital and lived for
an hour and half after getting there.
His vitality, though so great as to astonish
the physicians, was hardly greater than that
of Bill Poole, the notorious gambler, who
lived for more than twenty-four hours after
he had been shot through the heart. OF
course he could not have lived anything like
as long if the bullet had cut any of the YES
sells of that organ, but men have been known
to live a minute or so even after that had
happened. In one of the famous Kentucky
brawls, man who was 50 killed went to his
Office door after receiving his death wound,
and leveling his shot gun, fired and killed the
man who had already killed him. The man
who shot first died first
DEATH FROM HJCCoUGKING.
It is not very rarely that case is reported
Of some person dying from the effect of long
continued fit of hiccoGshing. In such cases
the heart is almost always weak before the
hiccoughing begins. A sneeze however has
been known to kill a healthy man. DIR.
Joseph n. Dickson, of Pittsburg, reports a
case of this kind in which a s1leeze was so vio-
lent as to break the right clavicle. The sharp
edge Of the broken bone cut the subclavian
artery, and the sneezer died almost immedi-
ately from internal hemorrhage
Entirely dissimilar to this case is one that
it naturally brings to mind. 1t was that Of
a man who entered saloon in Philadelphia
two or three years ago, and began eating
plate of beef stew. He ate ravenously as if
he was starving, and so very likely be was,
for trying to swallow rather large piece of
meat he suddenly paused, staggered and fell
to the floor stone dead. The only thing re-
markable in this instance is the fact of in
slant death being produced by strangulation,
that being a rapid cause indeed, but hardly
ever so rapid as it was that time.
Wichita eagle., 1889-12-15

he W a 5 ID ely
known, and stood
high in business cir
Giles, and his friends
wiildoubtless shield
his COOL name so
far as they may be
able.
The parties were
b t h from h 9
south, where they
had been acquaint-
: ed. This acquaint-
ance was renewed
after the removal
of both families to
DrAl- hrc
Wichita eagle., 1889-12-15

Fona Eeseer-D~ss esisa. have yoa rssI'y
becoze snxax~i - Mr. Esrdwo~ksr ~..Aoss
4zo~szx azyrs-zg q la eksrar.srI
FA@ros~--ssssr azaza. EsoEtser: dali sea
trs- sseEy;ssag ne sFsr cd lie IL /. ea1d.-
49, * e2z~sJ s.kAs--xa.as.rx Es..ss.a.
Wichita eagle., 1889-12-15

risania who, in embarrassing her room, stood
on the top of a bedpost. Her foot slipped
and she fell and was impaled on the post, and
died there. The other woman, in Massachu-
setts, was hunting for eggs in barn, and
slid from the loft down ON the hay under
meath, without seeing that pitchfork stood
upright beneath her She was also impaled
on the fork, and died at once
DAVID \. CURTIS.
Wichita eagle., 1889-12-15
ORGAN MEN OF NEW YORK
HOW THEY LIVE AND MOVE AND
HAVE THEIR BEING.
They Have Been Put to Severe Straits by
the Ordinance Forbiiding Their Turn
ing Their Cranks Upon the Streets.
Notes of q Trip Among Them.
GOOD deal of SYM

GOOD deal of SYM
pathy for the poor
er class of Italians
in New York city
has been recently
excited by the pas
sage of the ordi-
nance by the board
of aldermen for
bidding the play
ing Of hand organs
On the street, and
the cause Of the or
gan grinders has
Wichita eagle., 1889-12-15
MrNNIE srARNpERe. NAMIE WALLACE.

MINNIE SEAHNBEKG. XAIIE ALLACL-
Mrs. Hamilton was fined 500. and the
girls turned over TO the care of the Society
for the Prevention Of Cruelty to Children.
gen GREENTHAL.n
An old thief died in New York recently,
named Abraham Greenthal, commonly des-
ignated by the title of General" He was
IS years old, and was for many years the
Wichita eagle., 1889-12-15
LATE SENSATIONS
Crimes and Scandals that Oc-
Cured in Rapid Succession.
sOUTHWoRTH. PETTUS MURDER.

It Has All the Elements of , "Blood and
Thunder" Novel-A Letter Carriers Aw-
full Deed-Girl Operators in a Philadel-
phia Bath House for Men.
A number of events have been entered on
the criminal record very recently, some of
which are startling, some frightful, and
nearly all embodyiug more or less Of the
pathetic.
First, the Pettus-Southworth shooting at
fair in New York, in which Mai. Stephen
Wichita eagle., 1889-12-15
4 Striking Feature.

What struck you most in the equatorial
regionsf' asked a gentleman Of . travelC.
"I5a SIN" was the renly--Lia
Wichita eagle., 1889-12-15
ghs aaaha pay gaele sundag Boraiuo December s. 1883

IS that, in arranging for the music OF the
itinerant instrument, radical changes from
the score are made The street organ has