The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-12-09
GOSSIP OF THE TOWN
LITTLE STORIES PICKED UP ON THE
HIGHWAYS AND BYwAYs.
County Recorder shilling's Experi-
ences on His Return from the
War-An Iowa Mans Case.

SURVIVORS or his regiment. On the day OF
the return. the citizens of Kokomo turned
out en- masse to welcome the brave boys.
There was a great deal OF excitement at the
depot when the freight cars bearing the
soldiers came In. Mothers were stretching
their necks, trying to catch a glimpse of
their sons girls were looking for their
sweethearts and children were running to
meet their fathers. Some there were in the
crowd. who were there to learn the ~particu-
lars or the death of Gear ones on the battle
Held or in the hospital; The scene was like
the train was slowing up for the stop, a
man was seen to fall from one of the cars.
HIS comrades stopped and picked him up.
IL was Mr.. Shilling and he was badly in
jured. For several days he fingered be-
tween life and death and ii was several
weeks before he could go out. His comrades
the close Of the war, but it seems that he
found a good slice Of 1t again at the recent
election.
Pete Bohm, a clerk in the When clotbing
store. Is lamenting the loss of $40. He is
confident there is a trick in the r'atter
somewhere, but he is equally as confident
that on account OF the loss OF the money
he was unable to pay a small bull when
presented q few days ago. His discom-
future is all the result of a practical joke
which he attempted to play on a new sales
man. 1t has long been a rule in the store
That when any clerk finds money in the
store 1t should be turned over to the cashier,
and If not claimed after a reasonable time
IL becomes the property of the finder. A
new clerk was installed in the store O few
days ago. While he was busily engaged
arranging a pile of overcoats Bohm APP
preached him and apparently picked up a
the remark:
You should keep your eyes open. Such
little bills are often found around here"
The new clerk was very much surprised
for a moment, but, even when he saw
Bohm walk up to the cashiers desk and
nand over the bill, he was not satisfied.
Inc irresponsible smiles of q few Of the
clerks. who were In Bohm's confidence,
convinced the new man that Bohm had
placed the money where il was found. A
friend soon came in and with him the new
clerk arranged for revenge. When the
friend went out he called in a second
friend. and, after relating the story of the
the cashiers desk in the When store and
ask II any one had found a ten-dollar bill
The man was known in the store, and the
statement that he had lost such a bill was
of 1t.
This. however. did not complete the plan
OF revenge. The man who had gotten the
bill Went out and hunted up a third friend
20 whom Bohm was indebted TO the extent
or a few dollars. and. afer explaining the
the money on a plea OF urgent necessity.
Bohm was compelled to ask for further
time on the account, believing that a Pc
culiar chain Of circumstances had actually
cheated him out of ten dollars He does not
know and probably will not until he reads
this story, that all his trouble was the re-
suit OF a practical joke.
The case Of an Iowa man, who wants to
publish a book, is extremely pitiful. He is
ignorant. as the following extracts from his
manuscript viii show. He has a few hum
dred dollars and is willing to spend it all.
in order to have the work published. 1t is
a history of his family, including many
stories OF early Western life. The manu-
script was submitted to a publisher and he
gave 1t to a young woman, living in this
city, for revision. She has had to rewrite
the entire work. Here is an extract from
the original. a portion of the description of
a deer killing adventures:
Over the other side Of the plowed ground
from where the Deer lay was a stone boat
consisting OF two short planks fastened to-
gether with a cross peace made of oak
hewed down to the required thickness. and
pinned on to each end OF these planks with
wooden pins drove into an auger hole. This
had been used by Father and the older
boys, Mandy and VILLA (the latter of whom
l will speak of later on as he too gave his
life for the cause, We all loved so well, be-
fore he had attained his Majority, and
added one more to the list of those who
was starved to death by those in authority
at Libbie PRISON and who, if not already
will some day be called upon to render an
account of their deeds done here in the
body and the record of these deeds will be
spread out before the Great General Com
handing all Armies and who will report
rightly on the fndings) to draw off stumps
and stone from the plowed ground and were
scattered along the fence"
In describing VILLAS return from the war,
this Iowa author says: we did not know
him. Villa so poor and emaculatedy
The author hopes to make enough upon
the sale Of his book TO pay Off the mort
gage on his farm.
The other day a tall, muscular man,
bearing the stamp of the farm on his car
rage. walked into police headquarters and
made application for a position as a de-
tective.
81 understand the business and you can
bet on me every time" he said as he
Strengthened himself proudly and throwing
back the lapel of his coat displayed a huge
tin badge marked private detective"
See THAR he asked. pointing to the
badge, Teiepnone man WIDOW" Shaffer
by the hand greeted him cordially, saying
he was delighted at the meeting.
answered Un, a the n stra5 5essn At the fas se ensn.e tia,e
giving Shaffer a significant wink. Il have
been doing work for the = detective
them on to a number OF cases. 1 am all
ready TO go to work, and I've got a whole
trunk full of wigs, false boards and make
ups Of different kinds. Why, 1 could fix
myself Up so that you wouldn't know me
from Adams off OK: / can speak six diff
ferent languages and dialects. and YOU can
put me and bank on me-"
The widow" replied that Just such a
man was needed on the local dete. tive
force. and added that running was ono Of
the qualifications necessary for ar appoint
ment. He advised the applicant TO run
around the square once and see IN What
time he could make ii. The mar started
forth. and for all Shaffer knows ne is run
ming yet. for he never came back. The
police department receives many dpplica-
tions from amateur detectives, who, after
acting as agent" for detective agencies
wear tin badges and have the theory Of
detective work down pat.
A well dressed woman, leading a pretty
| three-year-old child. entered a Pennsylvania
street drug store a few days ago and ad-
dressing the clerk in charge Of the soda
fountain, said: Give me a glass OF ice
cream soda 1t is rather cold for ice cream,
and 1 don't care anything for 1t, but my lit
tie girl thinks she must nave some. Pine
apple, please"
The clerk prepared the drink and the
woman and her child sat down in a chair
in front of the fountain. The mother took
one good sized spoonful OF the soda TO see
If it was all right and then she took an
other to confirm the result OF the first
spoonful. Then the child came in for a few
drops OF the foam. The mother took sew
eral more and then the child was given an
other taste. or the whole glass of soda, the
child received about one good teaspoonful-
the mother took the rest. The mother