davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-06-12

legal right to make man ana woman man
and wife
Here 10 where they made . mistake
kenosha has two magistrates. At this
time Pennyfeather, J. p, and Schaefer,
J. p, were hungry for fees which come Of
tying marriage knots Griffin as the mo.
nopolist OF the industry was catered to by
these wise men Of the law. The ministers
were on strike. The squires were men
Of affairs and were willing to take half .
loaf in place Of none. Then there was Q
diversion in favor Of the squires. The
clergy stuck it out for awhile. They tried
to arouse public sentiment against Griffin
and the magistrates, but without avail
The public refused to take sides, and the
hackman- agistrate alliance continued to
do thriving matrimonial business
Then the ministers capitulated. ut
the wicked jehu had them at his mere,
and refused to go back on the magistrate,
who helped him out in his contest with
the clergy. Now he divides the business
between the squires and the ministers, and
the latter must perforce be content with a
considerably diminished revenue from
runaway marriages.
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-06-12
PARIS NOT so WICKED.
Other Continental Capitals Hide Their
sins-French Respectability.

Other Continental Capitals Hide Their
sins-French Respectability.
Police experts and those who devote
their time to the study Of crime and Of So
cial problems relating thereto do not hest
tate TO express the very decided opinion
that there Is UNNECESSARILY more social COR
ruption at Berlin, at Vienna, at St. Pc
tersburg and even in Stockholm than at
Paris. while Brussels has achieved for her.
eelf an undesirable pre-eminenoe over all
the other cities of the world as the princi
pal source Of all the literary filth which
Bcelzcbub inspires Degenerate scribes to
write for the contamination Of innocence
and purity. But every one of these CAPT
tails just mentioned makes a point Of OBJ
serving the maxim Of Dc In R0chefou
cauld and keeps, as far as possible, a veil
Of mystery over its misdoings, the scandal
which Is printed in their newspapers re-
lating exclusively to occurrences abroad
and to foreigners, discreet silence being
observed in connection with those happen
ing nearer home. One may search the
Berlin journals and those Of Vienna in
vain for any unsavory gossip concerning
the German aristocracy or about the Aus
TRAN great world, but you will find in
their columns the fullest details concern
ing the scandals of the hour in Madrid,
London, Paris or St. Petersburg. Pari-
sian newspapers, on the other hand, are
apparently never SO happy as when fouling
their own nest and holding up the moral
shortcomings of their own countrymen in
an exaggerated form and in a far too high
ly colored light to the gaze of the entire
world.
1t will doubtless astonish many people
tn A 60 hat In, IT,,
rope does respectable count for SO much
as among the French middle and lower
classes, while the fashionable world of
France attaches equal Importance to what
1t describes as CORRECTNESS of conduct,
speech and manner, says "Ex-Attache" in
the New York Tribune.
II Felix Faure and before him Casimir
Perier and Sadi -Carnot were elected by
the SURFACES of their countrymen to the
chief magistracy of the republic, it was
mainly because, of all the candidates for
that high Office, they were held to come
nearest to the national ideal of respecta-
bility and correctness. These are two
qualities which are invariably preferred by
the French to brilliancy, to wit and to
smartness of intellect, and nowhere are
irregularities of conduct visited with more
serious consequences to public man OF
viewed with great severity by the people
at large than in France.
Strict observance Of the marriage ties II
the rule in French families and not the
exception, as people here seem to believe
Indeed the family relations are perhap.
even more close and more intimate In
France than in America, owing to tn,
fact that there is infinitely less independ
ence on the part Of the wife, the daughter
and the sons.
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-06-12

fAr from definite - yet, and his physicians
viii not let him talk Of IL. What his
friends know has been eked out gradually
and 10 judged from the terrific state Of
the country through which the baronee
careered. The whole county was excited
a. It never had been before.
The party FASTENED on as fast n they
could 60. Country people lined up along
the road, jeered and whistled at them,
yelling;
"Git . move onl Ye're gettin beat
From which they inferred that their
friend was still going.
Laporte Is about 20 miles from Laporte
Junction, and the dusty party hove In
sight about dusk. A gang Of wheelmeu
met them on the outskirts with inquiries
ae to the start and destination, and o.
surances that they stood no show. The
baronet had gone through like . full
blooded meteor 40 minutes before.
He made the run In ". hours They
gave IL up and waited for q train, intend
ing to head him OF at Stillwell, q town 10
miles farther ON. gIso s1nIs6s
In the meantime the baronet was r2el-
ing of miles, hanging on like grim death,
his motor gathering power with every
turn, his eyes sticking out and his hair
beginning to show gray spots. Flapping
and pounding his ribs the flask of spring
water and fieldglasses set him half crazy.
Dogs ran out to bark at him, but he had
disappeared before they could get their
jaws working. A few minor runaways
are all the casualties reported from this
stretch OF 40 miles, which was covered in
90 minutes.
Between Stillwell and Kankakee the
road measures 80 miles The baronet COW
cred the distance in so minutes.
Kankakee prides itself on being modern.
It is a town of about 5000, and 1t has q
bicycle policeman. The latter is o consci-
entious official, and always arrests scorch-
ers without lanterns. By the time the
baronet's steed reached the west end Of the
town it was dusk. John Davis, the afore-
said copper, saw him coming down, and
he promptly made after him. Davis recol-
lections are of receiving tremendous jolt
in the eye and seeing an aged man appar-
emily, with smutty face and glaring eyes,
shoot by like the wind. The fieldglassea
had hit him. Davis reported to headquar.
tiers that the devil had gone through town
on a wheel which spit fire and acted like
| q live animal.
The baronet's friends had not forgotten
him in the meantime. They had missed
him at Stillwell and decided to head him
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-06-12

eral bicycles fitted up with remarkable
motors The result was that the party
ran down to Loporte with the idea of buy.
ing the patents.
The clew developed better than they ex-
pected. Chaplin turned out to be a pleas
ant faced young fellow, and he showed no
hesitation in trotting out his wheels. The
wheels in appearance were like ordinary
bicycles. They had % inch wheels, with
patent nonpuncturable tires, also of Cha
pins invention. His motor was the most
essential part. The machine was fitted
with storage batteries of new principle
and an exceedingly compact generator or
dynamo. When run 800 feet, enough en-
ergy would be stored by the momentum to
keep the bicycle moving on ordinarily level
ground, ut the same time a remarkable
amount Of electricity being stored up To
avoid an excess a switch to ground the
current at will was arranged to let off the
surplus electricity. The whole arrange
ment fitted in easily within the diamond
frame, being geared from there to the hind
axle
The prospective purchaser saw . good
thing and sized up the minister for easy
game. 1t ended with the party mounting
bicycles for test about 3 o'clock p. m.
Through Marshall County, Ind, the
roads are a cycler's paradise. The invent
or and the party of Englishmen took the
one following the line of the Michigan
and Lake Erie railroad for the trial The
Britishers were in ecstasies. A push Of
800 feet and they felt the power under
them. With feet on the footrests and pipes
in their mouths, the inevitable fieldglasses
thrown over their shoulders and a flask of
| spring water on the other side, they sailed
| along, kicking up the dust at Is mile
| gait, showing their rear wheels to every
| cycler on the road
Everything went swimmingly, and they
began to dicker. The switches let of the
surplus electricity nicely and the inven.
| ton was pronounced blooming" sue
cess. The haronet especially WINS tickleti
70 death. He began to experiment on the
| capabilities of the machine, drawing ahead
and then falling hack. but suddenly he
| seemed to take . notion to run away from
the party. and . faint shout came back to
them and the sound Of terrific hum
| All they could see Of the baronet was q
cloud Of dust. with a halo of tobacco
smoke over It, They got scared and LEI
out their wheels to q dangerous speed, but
couldn't get near him, and he disappeared
around bend The inventor timidly sug
gested that the switch may have got on,
| OF order. and then they were scared
The switch had broksn of The bar.
Onet found himself astride his hobby and
gaining momentum every moment. His
seOoliections Of that whirlwipd ride IN
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-06-12
Coyote Farming In California.

In many portions of California the coy
ote Is troublesome beast and plays havoc
with domestic animals Though it is to
the interest Of the granger to annihilate
the providing varmints, and the state has
for several years expended about 5000, 900
per year for scalps, coyotes are more nu-
merous now than ever. AT first the bounty
was 81 per scalp for slain coyotes, but the
politicians finally got the figure raised to
IS. At once the grangers saw that raising
infant coyotes was to become a profitable
industry and set about encouraging their
propagation. Recent Investigations show
that regular coyote farms were established.
and the honest grangers" did such a
thriving business that their other crops
languished. In the course of legislative
investigation recently it was shown that
In one county where 1000 scalps had been
turned in during the year more than three
fourths OF them were fraudulent, it being
proved that four or five scalps were made
from each coyote skin; also that some of
the scalps were those of foxes and wolves.
The town officials never having seen either
of these animals. the deception was an easy
matter. for the coyote bears q strong re-
snmblance to both of them -4-i
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-06-12

of by telegraph. A message was sent all
along the line to ''stop a man on a wheel ="
At Walkerton, the next place beyond
Kankakee. the telegraph operator reported
that bicycle thief was en- route there,
and although it was already dark, two
officers were sent out the pike to stop him.
They did not succeed As the baronet M.
preached the little group one Of the police
men grabbed at him. while the other pre-
sented n revolver The baronet went on
without looking. The policeman who mt
tempted to seize him got n whack from the
flask Of spring water and IL suffering from
conclusion of the brain. The other police
man cried. stop thief" His revolver
went off, but never touched the baronet
All through the so miles to Tyner City
the baronet had it easier and scattered less
devastation. He was nearing the mile q
minute gait and flashed through Tyner
City in 80 minutes, upsettiDg n party Of
loofers as he passed, and Plymouth was
only 80 miles away. At $3.50 O'Clock the
chief of police received the following mes
sage. signed by the name Of the young In
ventor, whom he knew well:
stop bicyclisk will enter city from
the west side on pike, on motorcycle. and
machinery beyond his control Stop az
all hazards with barricade of soft ma
terial'
The famous modern, FIN de sieclc, MP to
date John Gilpin ended his ride here.
Chief Mannering and his assistants held 4
short consultation and determined to take
effective measures. The chief had an idea
which Will make him famous The in
habitanfs OF nearby houses were aroused.
A few minutes sufiiced to explain. All the
leather beds in the vicinity were collected.
In one huge heap they were woven into q
parricade across the pike. Hay. mat
tresses, quilts and everything else to tlesid
en- the shock was tossed on the heap
In the meantime the baronet was near
ing the end. He was caked in mud. His
hair was white as the driven snow, while
hts lace was rs black as the ace of clubs
His hands were rigid as steel and glued &c
the handle liars. He was the apotheosi,
| of scorcher. 70
1t was all over ton ou;ckly 10 compre
bend The watchers at Plymouth remember
hearing far away whizzing. Then thers
was binding flare. q smell Of burned
feathers. and the baronet lit on the barn.
cade at exactly i :2s by the clock. almosl
unacceptable The wheel, like the one
horse shay, collapsed into its original eie
| ments, while the electricity went Oh like
. lightning bolt, burning the ba-ricade q
ashes The harcnes was aFzied to Eenr
BY drug store. whore his injuries were ~
certained- His friends arrived the next
morning and took him to Pittsburg - I
private car.
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-06-12

The best Salve In the world for
Cuts. Bruises. Sores. Ulcsrs, Salt
Rheum. Fever Sores. letter, Chsppsd
Hands. Chilblains. Corns. sad all
Skin EruPtioas. and positively cures
Piles. % no pay required. Il ID guar
sntesd 20 give perfect satisfaction ss
money refunded. Price IS cents pse
box. For sale BY Harris q Uilemeysf.
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-06-12
INDIAN JUGGlERS.
American Aborsrin~s who Rival the sIis-
doc. I'm the BLACK Art.

Amer1rou aOoftEtues " bttt1t toc n1to-
doc. I'm the BLACK Art.
The Mepomini Indinns, who occupy q
reservation In the northeastern interior NJ
the state 81 Wisconsin, nearly cqunl the
east Indians I'm the art Of iugelry. The
snake nag trick, which IL part Of fhcir
mortuary exercises, Is 80 cleycyly worked
as Go deceive even the ciert
The performer held before him a rcA
flannel bag. which measured nbout 20
inches I'm width by 30 In depth The mp
per corners were tied 10y the hands no NJ 90
spread out the lag like single piece ri
goods. Then, taking the ing In his hands.
he rolled 81 into hnli 30 SNOW there WINS
nothing within. Again taking the Ing
by the upper corners. the pcrforrna bcld
a. before his face like a hammer and
slowly bernn 90 dance forward. His con-
federafe preceded him, dancing bnckwHrd,
chanting with the performer and making
gestures before the bag. Slowly two
snakes heads began 60 emerge from tho
top Of the bae, gradually working thcis
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-06-12
EDWARD GRIFFIN.

ness Of taking clipping and other couples
to one or the other of the men Of tho cloth
whom he has driven into submission.
The situation may be said to DO without
parallel. 1t Is not every city that has from
10, 900 to Il, 900 inhabitants and a lone
hickman. 1t Is not every city Of no mat
ter what population So favorably situated
by nature and the connivnnce Of the legis-
laturo of tho state in the matter of mar.
riagc licenses rs Kenosha. Six miles south
from the city limits no man can secure the
performance of the marriage ceremony I'M
less he presents to the magistrate or min
lister u license duly issued according to tho
laws of Illinois. In Kenosha he does not
need anything but the presence and ex-
pressed assent Of the bride elect and some
officer qualified by law to make them one.
Hence II Is that many couples unable to
cvade tho mandates OF the law on the Illi-
nois side Of the line find 1t easy to assume
conjugal bonds on the other.
Edward Griffin has the monopoly Of
the hack business I'm Kenosha. for he has
the depot privilege. No other man has the
right to back up to the platform, seize the
incoming travellers and take them where
they want togo. Here Is where no over.
held the clergy in the game recently won
by him.
Griffin owns number of carriages, and
his charge for carrying runaway couples
To the parsonagcs Is usually 81. The busi-
ness is n rushing one, and Griffin observed
the ministers were making q good deal of
money out Of the fares he brought them.
He determined to have q share of their
fees.
So he let II be known among the mar.
rying officers Of Kenosha that visiting
couples in search Of the services Of magis.
tratc or minister would be taken to that
man or men who would ogree to compen-
safe the hickman who delivered the load
and mnde II possible to earn goodly fee
thereby. Griffin pointed out to the officers
that the law of Wisconsin. in emitting the
necessity for license, had not failed to
stipulatc the amount Of the fee which
could be collected by law. This IL only
ti.50. Now. he also shrewdly called to
mind the fact that It Is n poor kind Of
man who docs not have Is for such q job.
He therefore gave tho marrying fraternity
20 understand that he would DO satisfied
with percentage Of the fees in all cases
where he carried tho couples to tho house
or office.
For timc this was all right. The
preachers consented, and the hackman saw
that they got all the business. Tho ma
jority Of those who visited the city pro
fcrrcd the services Of N minister anyway
and he had no difficulty in steering the
business as he saw IT. This was n good
thing for all concerned. It increased
Griflin's receipts and made. those of the
preacher more certain Now, on tho In
sis of 900 couples year and IS q couple II
will bo seen that the five or six minister
md tho harLfllrl AivIdinO
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-06-12
Held Up THE PARSONS
A Wicked Jehu Made Them Di.
vide Marriage Fees.
CLERGYNEy WENT on STRIKE.
Then the Lone Hackmsu Of Kenoshs Car.
ried Runaway Couples to the Msgis.
ssates and Brought the Men of the Cloth

There Is sorrow. discomfort, even disgust.
In the Ministerial association Of Kenosha,
Wis. Not that the pastors have cause Of
complaint with the spiritual condition Of
their flocks, or that they are short on their
salaries. These things are all right in the
little city. But the clergymen are SORROW
full because they must pay tribute to the
hickman who Is not Of any Of their Aocks.
The Is what gals the men Of the cloth.
The hackman goes right on about his bust.
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-06-12
JOHN GlLPIN OUTDONE..
An English Investors Adventure
With a Runaway Motorcycle.
BROKE ALL KNOWN RECORDS.

ING Iefm1noti0n OF tine MAD Hfoe.
<John Gilpin's fearful ride was never in
It with the narrowing adventure Of an Eng
lish speculatof on an Americans motocy-
Gle 1t was worse than that. Sheridan.
Putnam and John Gilpin rolled into one
neither made the time nor suffered the
awful effects Of mind and body. In the
home of q prominent manufacturer in
Pittsburg the victim is lying. His hair
Is white from the awful mental strain,
three Of his ribs are fractured an ankle IL
sprained, and both his arms are paralyzed
to the elbow. For hours and 2S min
utes he rode motorcycle, travelling at rail-
road speed, sweeping over goo miles OF
quiet Indiana roads in that time and set
ting the whole country into an uproar.
This modern Gilpin came here some
time ago with q party Of English manu-
facsurers, says the Pittsburg Post. Their
avowed purpose was to buy up promising
inventions from unsophisticated Yankees
and make fortune from them. Others
had done 1t before, and several of the party
had turned q pretty penny that way. The
ono who bit of more than he could chew
10 known in England as a keen business
man and a dead game sportsman. He
owns hereditary estate and writes him
self "Baronet'' with big b.
Shortly after landing the party went mp
into the Mesaba ore ranges near Lake Su-
periOr. While there they happened to fall
in with an agent of Pittsburg manufac-
turer on the lookout for just such a party
of spectators. The agent knew they
would be interested in bicycles with the
latest features and told them of the inven.
ton of Byron Chaplin, n young minister
at Laporte Junction, Ind, who dabbled
in mechanics. Chaplin, he said, had sew
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-06-12

tainecr's instinct taught him were GOOD.
They had ridden their horse % death the
first dny % get beyond the posses reach.
and IL was the carcnss ~ the horse that the
buzzards reported by the trailing party
lowered over In the inaccessible canyon.
After that they staggered aionnon foot.
You who do not know the goa noun
tains cannot dream IL the pnrching desert
places. the dry mountain go-gcs. 80 deep
that IL Is days travel 90 pas over then'
the inggcd hcaus Of rocks that run Up lnfo
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-06-12
| TRAGEDY OF MEXICO
The Fatal lnfatuation Of Mace
donio Ffausto.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES

Then He Killed His Rival snd Anosisr anA
lied Wlsh ths Girl 60 the Meunsains.
Gave Hinsslf Up Altsr Untsad HARD.
ships. ca
In the old stone prison at Monterey
there is . boy waiting for execution. He
is sturdy, very dark little Mexican. He
smokes cigarettes from morning till night
like any other Mexican and fights his
guards like tiger. Whoever sets foot in
side his cell must struggle for his life with
Macedonia Frausto.
That is not n Mexican trick at all. -
tradition and instinct your Spanish Amer
lean Is conscious Of the dignity Of death.
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-06-12

Gives the Devil His Due.
4 German legend says the devil was
the inventor of brandy.
The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1897-01-28
ALL A-FLUTTER.
Washington Society to Be Augmented
by the Vanderbilts.

Washington. January 27-The Even
ing Star says: Society circles are all
Ia a hutter over the prospective resi-
dence an Washington during the re-
mainder of the present social season.
OF Cornelius Vanderbilt and family, Of
New York vanderbilts agent has just
leased the LOwery Mansion at the
northeast corner Of Vermont avenue
and K street for three months, and the
VanderbIits will take possession early
next week. Vanderbilt win bring his
entire New York household. including
c.coks and servants. and Will also bring
twenty horses, six coachmen and four
grooms, with ten or twelve carriages
Of various styles. 1t Is said thar sew
eral other wealthy members Of what Is
known as the Vanderbilt set are look
ing for houses suitable for entertain
ing purposes. to which the Lowery
Mansion Is admirably adapted. and
that others Of the same circle are secur-
ing apartments at the Arlington and
uptown hotels. The coming OF Wander
bilt is taken as an indication Of his In
tention to follow the example being
generally given by people Of wealth,
and make Washington his regular
home
The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1897-01-28

many leading Republicans throughout
the country urged upon Chairman tla1.
ma the Importance and absolute mecca
Flty fOr continuing the agitation pur.
sued during the campaign jus, clos.d.
Al FIRST the members OF the committee
were fully In accord wath this idea. but
after mature deiiberatlon q majority
" the national oorusnittec, including
Mr.. Hanna, experienced a change Of
heart. Mr. Hanna clearly dem0nstrni.
ed his change Of views by frankly stat
ing 10 IA representative Of the AAsocia4-
cd Press:
Il am in favor of stopping all present
agitation ana permitting the Yerdict VI
the people 10 stand upon its merits."
II Is eblieved that the potent factor
entering into the diEcusslon aud final
decision on this question is the belief
that Is apparently growing on ali sides.
that active political work on such a
scale as mapped out by the Republican
leaders some time ago Is now and
would continue 70 be a menace 10 the
rsiurn Of business prosperity II Is
stated that the original plans for work
assigned 90 the Washlngton headquar-
ters win be largely. curtallcd. though
the office may be maintained for short
time.