The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1898-02-06
CURIOUS CHRONICLES
A Spaclal Accident Policy Is Now Provided
for Bicycle Riders.
WHAT IT. TAXES 10 KILL a MAN
An incident tn Atlanta Fire Insur.
ance-A Temperance Man who
Docs Not Know tho rasto or
Sight of Puro Watcr-ThriIrine
Episode IN tho Iifo ora prune Etcnd

IT there Is any one on earth who
needs an accident policy 1t is the
Dlcycle rider. His life is never out of
danger. He rides in the shadow Of
death. Realizing this, and to meet the
pressing demand for something of the
Sort the insurance companies now in
corporate In their accident policies n.
cause specially insuring riders of
bicycles against accident. OF course,
general policy covers accidents of
inns klnd, too, but the special clause,
ior consideration, doubles the benefit.
insurance is a curious business"
said Mr.. w. l.. Seldom, speciai agent
Tor the Travellers, land one runs nm
AGAINST some queer things. I am con-
siantly wondering at how much and
now little 1t takes to kill man. We
nave a brakeman in our company who
was IN railroad wreck some time
ago. Fifteen cars fell on him, and vet
ne escaped with barely a scratch. On
the other hand, one of our policy-hold.
ers not long ago, while doing some
work In the Arlington, fell from
ScaHoid, distance of not more Than
SIN Sn; ieet, and was almost instantly
Il don't have anything to do with
IRE insurance, of course. still I see a
Sood many funny things in that line
MOI long ago, in Atlanta, there was a
smail merchant with perhaps u $500
STOCK lie went to the agent of one
OF the well known companies and asked
10 De insured for $1,000. The agent said
ne would send man around to lool,
d. the store. Next day the merchant
Agent said he. If I burn ont how
lnuch DO l get Two years in the
penitentiary,' replied the agent. The
insurance was never placed"
~ well known Berkeley gentleman
VINO Is staunch advocate of temnor
ance. was the victim of a gruesome
practical joke the other evening. A
. .i Oh MS hiled small Vial with
when the temperance man came over
presented him with the vial and asked
MIN what its contents were. The nm
suspectins victim shifted around the
mouth OF the vial for awhile, tasted the
contents critically and returned the
quit 10 MS friend, remarking that he
aid not know what the solution was
~ we'll authenticated story Is nov poing
me rounds to the effect that this gem
tleman. who has been posing for years
US an advocate of temperance, does not
ever know the taste or sight of water.
verify believe all children are
| UT thleNes, said gentleman noted
LOT his sterling honesty II am n living
example. When I was very small nv
ihother had a ten gallon jar Of pruncs
IN closet found these prunes one
| aaS and thoughtlessly put a handful
| III my pocket. When I got off by nv
self ate them. This was the first
step l ever remember taking on the
| downward road to ruin. I repeated my
visit to the jar after that several times
day, until had eaten all the prr1nes
put about II handful At first the idea
| mat | was doing wrong never struck
me. but after awhile I began TO think
| over the matter to wonder what was
going to happen when my depredatio
were discovered. and then l began to
| realize the enormity OF my sin, bu,
| by TINS time | had contra te1 the prune
habit and could not break it, Every
time l got within sight of that closet
! door an irresistible impulse drove me
TO open it and 10 get more prnnes
| one day my mother went to the Jar to
get some OF the fruit for dinner, and
so the theft was discovered OF course
| on the impulse of the moment 1 de-
MED all knowledge of the prunes and
| suggested that the rats might have
| eaten them. This was laughed to
scorn. for the nts would certainly have
| LETT few seed behind as 4 souvenir
of their visits, and ] hadn't left any
thing much but the jar. l went to bed
that night feeling like Il whipped cur
| ! don't believe 1 got to sleep before
daylight. Next day my conscience hurt
me Ike boil and next night couldn't
sleep for wondering what was going to
| become OF me. l ended the agony by
| owning up TO the crime. I believe
! was Datted on the head for finally
| telling the truth, but l know the liver
| was almost licked out of me for steal
| ing the prunes. ] daro say there Is
hardly a man In the community who
| cannot recall some similar incident of
his early youth"
The clever Nusbaum boys, the Main
! street 'bookies," did thing the other
| day which showed how very much alive
they are. Having q number OF John
| Kendr!ck Bangs books, THE House
| Boat on the Sty," and others on hand,
| Nhcy induced the author when in the
| city, TO sign each. These autograph
| copies went off like hot cakes, only one
| or two being still unSold
DIR. r. C. FLOWER, OF BOSTON AT