Omaha daily bee., 1890-03-10
SPENT HER FUNERAL MONEY
Some Good Stories Of Men and
O!her Animals.
FORMED A COFFIN CLUB.
The Qneer Organization of Some New
Jersey Citizens-Wocs of Man
from Bagdad-- -siislaid
the Corpse.
The Curious side Of Life.

wife, Hannah, has brought out some
rare testimony, says a San Francisco
dispatch to the New York Sun. About
two years ago the Hamiltons visited
New York and so enamored Of life in
the metropolis was Mrs. Hamilton that
she wanted to remain, and 80 her hus-
band returned to the Golden Gate alone.
Mr.. Hamilton waited with Job-like
patience for his young wife's return,
and one day was startled by the follow
ing message flashed over the wires from
New York:
"a. NJ. Hamilton: Hannah died last
night. Send $3.50 Tor funeral expenses.
LUCY"
Lucy is Hannah's New York sister.
Hamilton promptly forwarded the
amount by telegraph Three days later
the wires humr,eG tne following:
"The undertaken demands another
800 for funeral accoutrements. Please
forward at orce. Lucy"
AS before, the money was sent. Two
months afterwards business took him to
New York. where he intended to visit
the last resting place of his wife. On
his first night in the city, however, as
he was sadly walking the street, whom
should he meet but his erring wife,
How is this?n demanded the aston
ished Hamilton. "Ain't you dead?"
''Do look Ike it?' cried his radiant
wife, laughing. Weren't these tele-
grams the loveliest jokes ever played?
While you was mourning me for dead
and paying money to have me buried, |
was spending that same money in
rnyal Nncpit fnnn,yp INhu
don't you luugh?"
But Hamilton didn't see anything lu
dicrous about the affair. He finished
business in n hurry, sped back to San
Francisco, and the first thing he did
was to bring suit for a divorce. The
trial has been pending since last July
awaiting the arrival OF several commits
sions from New York.
Yesterday that of Pat Sheedy, the
sporting man, arrived and was filed. 1t
corroborates the story of Hamilton re-
gardlng Mrs. Hamiltons deception.
Sheedy met her at walking match one
OF her pretended death till she confided
the whole story to him and boasted II
have done the old man up fine, and
> don't you forget it,"
About 500 residents of Newark, N. j.,
have organized a coffin club, with the
object of providing collins at low prices
for poor people. The initiation fee is
so cents, and the weekly dues 81, says
New York dispatch to the ST. Louis
be-Democrat. The agreement which
each member is required to sign pro-
vides that, "In case of the death of any
member of his family he agrees not to
engage the services of an undertaken,
other than to lay out remains
and secure burial permit and under
no circumstances to buy from
them a coffin" The agreement says
further that the club would be divided
into classes of thirty-four members
each. When thirty-four members of
class had each paid his dues of 81, that
would be Il sum sufficient to pay for one
coffin. Each week a drawing would be
had, and the one drawing the lucky
number would be given an order for
the coffin, which he or she could pre-
sent at any time to the manufacturers
In Brooklyn and receive the size OF cof-
fin they desired. There are over one
hundred people with orders Fin their
pockets for collins, and there are at
least fifty persons who do not even run
the risk of having their order Cancelled
or losing them, who have had their or
ders filled and now have the coffins.
Naturally the clup meets with good
deal of opposition from the rosewood
and silverplate profession. A certain
undertaken tried to bring about the ar
rest of the club members on the charge
OF gambling, claiming that they took
chances for the collins in the same way
as prizes are drawn from lotteries. The
complaint was made before Justice of
the peace, and was decided against the
undertaken. So the club is still in ex-
istence and flourlshing.
Some time ago, while the little seven
year-old daughter of Joseph Frank, liv-
ing near Spearville. Kan, was herding
her fathers cattle a short distance from
home and three miles southeast of this
place, they went into ravine, the little
girl stopping to play at a small pool of
water near by. While there large
black eagle dropped down within a few
feet of her and commenced to drink.
Nothing daunted, the little girl picked
up stone threw it at his eagieship,
striking him on the head and causing
instant death. When measured from
tip to tip of wings, the bird was found
to be trifle less than ii feet, and
weighed III pounds.
Tho little girl, all agree, has per-
formed feat that any nimrod might
we'll be proud to down with Il gun, for had
she only wounded him it would have
been more than probable that he would
have attacked her aud seriously If not
fatally injured her.
Chaskel Halevy, Hebrew, lived at
Bagdad for many years. Some time ago
he was striken with paralysis. Know
ing that his brother was in Bombay, he
saved enough money to reach there,
only to find that his brother had gone
to Yokohama. In the latter city he
found his relative in great poverty says
a San Francisco dispatch to the New
York Tribune. So Chaskel, hearing of
fortunes made in California, begged
enough for steerage passage to San
Franciscr. He could speak only Por-
sian and Hebrew. Here he found
charitable Hebrew family, who gave
him shelter. He could only get around
with crutches, aud one day some hood
lums stole these, leaving him helpless
in the street, far from his longing place.
He finally tried to appeal to a police
man for aid. The Persian custom is for
the suppliant for charity to kiss the
hands and feet OF those they approach.
Haleyy seized the officers hand and at