davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1899-08-12

= p 4 e u 4
pepsia, consumption and blood poison
ing. m M
The heafhiest and most rugged man
that ever lived begins to feel weak
in the small Of the back and has
dull pain in his chest before he has
listened to street doctor for ten min
autes.
The doctor begins to describe the
early symptoms of number of deadly
ailments and every man in the crowd
is compelled to admit, with chill OF
horror, that he has experienced these
very symptoms, but never before did
he realize their terrible significance.
One night l stopped on corner to
listen to one of these outdoor physi-
clans. He was a tall, dignifed man
with a long black coat. AS he talked
of the various diseases to which all
human flesh is heir, he made frequent
reference to large chart of the human
body showing the most useful internal
organs. The lungs, the liver, the stom-
ach, the heart, the diaphragm, etc,
were represented by stiff flaps of paste
board, colored in a most lifelike man
ner. He lifted them one after another
as he lectured further and further into
the internal economy of man.
He told of the many diseases which
might attack any or all of these inn
portant organs, and before he finished
it became evident that if any of us were
| to be spared it would be through a
miraculous intervention.
He said that if man breathed heayi-
| ly after taking violent exercise, that
was sure sign that he had chronic
| heart-disease.
! If he had feeling of oppression in
| the stomach region and slight dizzi-
| ness after eating hearty meal, then
| dyspepsia had laid its dread hold on
him.
A pain in the right side was proof
! positive that the liver had played out.
A sense of weakness in the lower back
| region and constant desire to sit down
somewhere and refrain from work were
| the danger signals indicating that the
| kidneys were seriously affected.
I had experienced all Of these awful
symptoms and about SO others thafhe
enumerated very rapidly. So it was
plain to me that I was toppling on the
brink of the grave with the most re-
narkable complication of diseases that
1 ever happened outside of an almanac.
In vain tried to shake off the haunt
ing fears which this quack doctor had
1 aroused within me.
l knew he was gigantic ignoraInus
who had acquired smattering of sci
entifc terms By reading family gutde
St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1899-08-12

sympathy and guidance makes me.
very careful in correcting them on
these minor points
Being asked to state the number of
wards in her control, and to outline
some Of her experiences with them,
Miss Bartelme said:
at present | have about 200 charges.
In most instances / am given controIof
both the person and estate of the child
Occasionally. however, the estate is
administered by a private guardian
and I have the guardianship OF only
the person of the child.
Il have now, here at home with me-
bright little girl of II years. She is the
daughter of a woman who drank heay-
ily. \ considerable property left By
the father was placed in trust: but the
mother insisted upon having the guar
dianship of the child. The court, how
ever, thought her an unfit person for
this confidence, and the child became
my ward. Accordingly, l went to call
upon the little girl in the old home
stead left by the father. The exterisr
of the house presented a comparatively
favorable appearances; but within was
filth and wretche6Iness. In the little
bedroom over the kitchen were streWn
numerous empty liquor bottles; and in
the midst of all this / found my little
charge. Needless to say, my immedi-
ate endeavors were directed to getting
her away from these surroundings,
and she has now been away from home
for more than Il year.
.Another pathetic instance was that
of little girl of a years OF age. The
mother OF this little girl was finely
educated woman; but continued spec
ulation on the board of trade had al
most dissipated the estate left her by
her husband. Finally drink brought
her so low that for six months she
has made no inquiry whatever for her
daughter. 1t is surprising that q little
girl who has undergone the suffefln g g
which this child has experienced
should show an anxiety about religious
duties. Yet for a long time, believing
herself too poorly clad for attendance
at the later meetings, she regularly
arose and walked two miles to early
mass rather than fail to attend.
when it became apparent that the
mother had been wasting the estate, a
suit was brought upon the bond and
her reckless expenditures were uncof-
St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1899-08-12
7 ILLINOIS is the only state in the
The Publc Guardian Of Illinois and Her
Good Work for the Little Ones.

ILLINOIS is the only state in the
union which may boast a real ma
II ternal interest in the welfare of its
orphaned children and point, by way Of
ycrifieation, to a woman who is state
public guardian.
Miss Mary NJ. Bartelme, of Chicago.
enjoys the unique distinction of being
the only woman N the United States
holding an appointment to this posi-
ton of trust. That she not only ac-
cepts and gracefully manages these
important duties in her official capac-
ity, but becomes yeritable mother to
each child who is added to this widely
Scattered and broadly inclusive fam
ily, is apparent to anyone who reviews
Miss Bartelme's work.
That. her wards, many of whom are
young girls, appreciate the deep per-
sonal interest she takes in each of them
and her untiring labor in their behalf.
is evidenced by the letters they eacir
week shower upon her. Many of them
do not hesitate to address her: Dear
Mother"
Il do not correct them in this, said
Miss Bartelme. 'yThe children realize,
as Ineyer supposed they did, how COM
pletely alone they are in the world
when they have no parent or anyone
to look to. They seem to feel SO quick
" that / am their guardian; that is,
they feel it in a way SO different from
what one would expect, and their radi-
ant look when they learn that there is
some one to whom they may turn for
St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1899-08-12

does thriving business and has made
its proprietor many dollar, and yet
deals in but little else beside this stable
commodity. Whilesit has made its rep
5utatien on the qualify Of its beans, il
il also famous for It's coffee.
On Madison street is restaurant that
attracts trade by means OF signs made
by its walters. So far ms any words
that are ever spoken by the empoyesss
itmightauite it as well be conducted los.so
many deaf and dumb persons, Inor-
Gering the walters have sign for every
article on the menu card, and it is by
means of these signs that the culinary
department is communicated with.
One of the popular classes Of the
small restaurants are The little French
afes. In most of them a table hefe
dinner is served at d cost Of 5ocents, and
with it one gets a bottle of wine, not
of the best, but still it is wine. This
class OF restaurant is patronized large
" BY the professional classes, and es-
peciaiiy the artists. 10 them it savors
sof Paris, the home Of art. Many ct the
wealthy business men Of the city pat-
ronize these little French cafes also in
preference TO the more elaborate re s.
talirants at their clubs.
And then last but By no means least
are the free lunches served BY the ;sa-
looms. I'll is remarkable the number o.
patrons They secure and the varietg
they fer for the price of a glass OF beer
WRIGHT n r PATTERSON.
St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1899-08-12
Observation-Disclosures
ezas1 exc .sss.aes@aszsS

fakirs separate trusting farm hands
from their hard-earned wages, learned
this maxim: Never bet on another
mans game
1t is not probable that any man is go
ing to travel long distance and pay a
fancy price for a 'privilege, ! merely TO
have the pleasure of handing money to
you.
If any man gets in front of you and
opens a small valise and begins to
demonstrate to you that he is your
friend and wants to help yon, don't be-
lieve him. 1T is better not to listen TO
him at all, for the ordinary confidence
man is something of hypnotist. That
accounts for his success. He will put
YOU under the influence and talk the
money right out of your pocket.
/ always feel that such a man, if he
had slightly larger Development OF
conscience and could have enjoyed the
advantages of education, might have
made of himself great business pro
moter,'' an adroit jury lawyer or high
grade politician.
/ don't contend that he would have
ceased to be a confidence man, but his
rewards would have been larger and he
would have enjoyed more enTiable po-
sition in society.
The street doctor, the one with the
long hair and the broad white hat
can talk to crowd of 200 or more
average citizens and convince every
man in the crowd that he is suffering
from Bright's disease, rheu matism, dys,
St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1899-08-12
RAKINa IN THE DOLLARS.

wreck. could read my own obituary
and | even began to wonder how many
of my friends would send flowers.
Fortunately | did not crowd up with
the others and pay a dollar for the
doctors magic preparation ot Indian
herbs. 1t didn't seem to me that II
would help very much. \ man whose
lungs, liver, stomach, bronchial tubes,
pancreatic glands, heart and vermi-
form appendix We're entirely broken
down and useless could not be entirely
repaired by one bottle Of anything,
that was evident.
went away under the shadow OF the
belief that wouldn't live two weeks
longer. But | did.
In fact. when / began to forget my
symptoms l discovered that | was eat eat
ing three meals day, putting IN the
usual hours of work and thriving fairly
well for hopeless Invalid
That experience was lesson 10 me-
Nowadays. when l sec a streetS1oetor
entertaining a crowd on the corner with
stories of what is the matter with them,
cross over to the other side OF the
street. / am afraid that if / stop and
listen / will find out that / ought to
be in hospital. | may be physical
wreck, but as long as no quack doctor
reveals the fact to me, manage TO get
along and feel first-rate. am now
sticking to The family physician. When
ever / 90 to him for medical advice he
gives me slap on the back and tells
me I'm all right. This costs two dollars,
but it is well worth the money.
This is further demonstration OF the
fact that talk is not cheap. But man
ought to buy good talk, no matter no"
high it comes.
The confidence men and the quacks
have something new every year. No
self-respecting confidence man would
attempt to sell gold brick these days
The gold-brick joke has been in tbs
newspapers and the comic weeklies Sc
long that every man, woman and child
in the country knows about the
swindle.
The up-to-tIate b1nko man is more
clever than the gold-brick salesman OF
Is wears ago, and he manages to keel
more within the protection OF the law
St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1899-08-12

Too Young to have begged % u s. II =
Famous Hosteiries, street to the bond
holding millionaires with an unlimited
number of dollars to spend on each
meal, if he chooses to do so.
Chicago is too young q city to have
hostelries with worldwide reputa-
ton, as some of the older cities of the
east and many of the cities of Europe
have. but it has many that have local
reputation, and some at which famous
men have been regular customers.
The tramp with five cents to spend
seeks the place where he can get the
most for his money. The millionaire
with many dollars seeks the place
where he can get either the choicest va
riety of food, the best service. the most
acceptable company, or all OF them COM
bined. The millionaire has by far the
hardest task to satisfy his wants.
There are many so-called restaurants
In Chicago which cater to the tramp
class. At any of these places it is re-
1narkable the amount of eatabie pro-
visions one can buy for a nickel. Not
long ago | met on the streets man
whom had known when he was of the
salt of the earth. Opium had ruined
him, and when saw him last he be-
seeehed me to buy him meal, offered
him quarter, but he declined to take
it. Instead he wished me to deposit it
to his credit at a restaurant he knew
of, and by. doing SO / would provide him
with five meals instead of one. Curl
osity led me to the restaurant to see
what could be bought for five cents, and
I was surprised at the quantity. The
IS cents which / deposited for him Sc
cured an abundance of meat-steWed-
potatoes, bread and coffee for five
| meals. None OF it of the best, and yet
all of it of such a quality as tosbe eat
| able.
And the man who sold it owned his
own home, kept a carriage and pair
| and employed coachman. He had
made his money out Of. .fve-eent meals.
St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1899-08-12

five minutes and that talk cost him
$275. Also had cousin who called on
a young lady one evening, put his arm
around her waist, and talked to her
less than two minutes, but before he
got through with the breach-of-prom-
Use suit he was set back nearly $4,000.
Thus it will be seen that talk is ex-
pensive, whether you are the listener
or the talker. &E
My uncle, who was taken in by the
lightning rod agent, had the reputa-
ton of being the nearest" man in our
whole neighborhood. He would rather
have given up quart of blood, any
day in the week, than part with half
dollar. Somehow or other these tight
men are always the easiest prey for
swindler. The confidence man taps
around until he finds the weak spot in
q mans nature and then he plays on
that until something gives way.
My uncle signed a contract with that
boId-faced robber because he (my
uncle) thought he was going to get his
Lightning rods for about half of what
St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1899-08-12

societies Of both cities. and, as re.
suit, I was appointed his legal guard.
ian. He was ultimately placed III the
home of family on the South side.
'sThat phase of my work Ill which
perhaps meet with the greatest diff
Guilty, but which is, nevertheless, u most,
important and imperative one, is that
of securing good homes forsthe children.
who become my wards. This, doubtless,
is largely owing to the belief in the minds
of many people that to take child
into the family means to take it as
their own. This is by no means the
intention nor is it expected that any
financial responsibility shall be as
5sumcd by persons into whose family
a child is received unless they choose or
agree to do SO. On the contrary, each.
of my wards has at least q small sum
of money and goes into family much
the same as little boarder would.
Those who take child into the cons
forts of home for a small sum sufii-
.cicnt to clothe it, who treat the child
kindly and send it to school, fill the
exact need in majority OF cases. As
little helpers these children are able
to order fair returns for Their. sup
port.
"a number of the little fortunes
which as guardian / am called upon to
protect come through insurance So
#cieties or lodges of which the parent
was a member, and am glad, always,
to learn that a father has his life in
Esured for the benefit of his children.
1T is surprising what ono can do for
them with even very small sum in
hand .
The spirit with which Miss Bartelme
accepts and executes the duties of her
position as measured by the fruits oil
her labors leaves practically nothing tc.
be desired.
Since her graduation from the law
school of the Northwestern university
lii 1893, Miss Bartelme has been an act
i've member of the Chicago bar. She Is.
bright and energetic young woman
and expresses a great liking for her
work in the legal field. Though her of
flee in the Fort Dearborn building is a
busy place, the wards who seek her
there find in her a sympathetic listener
and ready adviser. Her two years
labor in this field has placed an added
value on the Office Of state public guard.
ian. MILTON B. MARKS. s
St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1899-08-12

He organizes a mining company with
no backing except a lot Of fancy sta-
tionery, or else he starts an insurance
company that goes out OF business be-
fore any of the policy-holders have time
to die, or perhaps he sells town lots that
are located in a swamp and cannot be
reached except by boat.
Any citizen of average intelligence is
proof against the sheli-game or three
card monte, but he may fall if some elo-
quent hustler takes him by the button
hole and promises him ten dollars for
one dollar, in a mining deal. Some day
or other. when he takes ont those stock
certificates and looks at them. she will
wonder why he bit and he MONT be
able to explain il. No one can explain
the hypnotic influence of the success
tnI confidence man.
JOHN uAZELDES.
St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1899-08-12

to health. My better Judgment told
me that a competent practieing ply
sician who had graduated from high
grade medical college and had devoted
years to the study of diseases and their
treatment knew more about anatomy,
physiology, hygiene and materia med
lea than all the street quacks in the
universe. / tried to extract hope from
the fact that I had been cxamined'Ior
life insurance only a few days before
and had been approved by board OF
physicians.
1t was of no use. That long-haired
doctor had a certain air of dignified
authority and sincerity which com
peeled respect and enforced belief.
As / Listened to him L was overcome
by the conviction that was physical
St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1899-08-12

cred in court. However, compromise
was effected with the bondsmen and
the estate was given into the hands of
one of our banks and ] became guardian
of the person of the child. Relatives
were at last found who We're willing
to do something for the girl and she
was given business education as a
stenographer. Her first work in this
line brought her an income of four
dollars week, and she came to me one
day with beaming face and said: Next
week I will have three dollars saved
and then can buy little brother James
a pair of shoes and pair of mittens.
I find my charges often of generous
dispositions, and they are as a rule
very appreciative of thoughts of kind
ness.
'sThere seems to be a prevalent temp
tation among a certain class OF people
to place bright, active child upon the
stage, and I am not infrequently asked
! to become guardian of a child in order
to keep the latter from being thus
| hired out by those in whose control
| ne happens 10 De. An EeAaInpieS SoI tiiis
character is that of a bright little boy
who was brought here from another
city by his aunt. She attempted to
become his legal guardian. but in an in
| vestigation of the case it was discovered
that the father was still living and that
this little fellow had been taken from
him practically without his consent
and placed upon the variety stage. The
case had been taken up by the humane
St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1899-08-12

they would cost anyone else in the
neighborhood.
Nine times out of ten, when man is
bunkoed he is trying to beat somebody
else. Then when he is tripped up at
his own game he hasn 'tany reasonable
defense. All he can do is to go out
into the darkness and club himself.
You have seen the smooth citizen
who perpetrates swindle known as
the "shell game" He allows the little
ball'' to show under the edge of one of
the shells and the so-called victim" I"
seeing it there, believes that he can
St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1899-08-12

and barrels
wine of the best vintage. The dining
room itself opens on to the alley. II
IL one finds none of the luxurious fur-
nishings of the modern cafe. Inc
dishes are of many varieties, from
tin plate to one of heavy earthenware
The cups IN which coffee are served are
all of an eighth of an inch IN thickness;
the spoons are tin or German silver
the knives and forks have either iron
or bone handles; the tables have PLAIN
pine tops; stools and benches are used
to sit upon. and everything else IS IN
keeping with these things. Four small
rooms afford small degree Of privacy
if 1T is desired, but the usual guest pre-
fers to sit at the one long table in the
large room. In the corner of this room
is a crate fire at which colored man
roasts potatoes for you while you wait.
and the same man serves as the single
waiter the establishment employs
But the dinners that are served in
This place are not in keeping with the
furnishings. Everything is OF the best
that: money can buy, and many Chit
cago millionaire needs must thank this
little back-door restaurant for the case
Of gont with which he suffers, Around
the long table may be found such men
as Phil Armour, Hutchinson, Mitchell, q
and many others Of the financial stars
/, OF Chicago.
This little place owes its popularity
to Gen. Phil. Sheridan. Heait was who
discovered it and made it greatduring
the days when he was IN command OF
the department Of the Missouri, with
headquarters in Chicago, and to-day
a portrait of Gen. Sheridanfis theonly
decorative feature to be found within
its walls.
with Local Fame.
1t would be hard to enumerate the
r,opy- yaSf a,1ranfs with snecialfieS of
St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1899-08-12

lest men, is a lit
tie restaurant at
which many a
millionaire dimes
nearly every day.
TO reach this
d i n in g r o o m
where congregate
men whose names
are known from
ocean to ocean it
is necessary to
pass through a
long storer Q o m
filled with casks
St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1899-08-12

some kind. Z he
larger ones are not
nearly so interest
ing as many Of the
little ones,
On West Madison
street a little room
n o t M ore than
eight feet wide
contains a re.atau-
rant that il fa-.
nous MI over the
West side for its
St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1899-08-12

an acknowledgment of their wants. Ey-
erybody helped themselves to plate,
cup, kniyes and forks, napkins and
drinkables, and as climax to the noon
day meal they helped themselves to q
check at the cashiers desk and paid
not always what the menu on the wall
said their dinner was worth, but what
they pleased.
The proprietors of this class OF res
taurants claimed at first that all the
public needed was a chance to be trust
ed that every man would prove his
honesty if given the chance. For a
time they maintained this claim, some
even going so far as to say that many
people paid for even more than they
ate in their efforts to be honest, which
was probably true. Butin time the pro-
prietors found that while possibly a few
would pay five cents more than they
should, according to the published
prices, the many ate quarters worth
and paid ten cents.
I. 1t took some time to convince the
Droprietors Of this class of restaurant
that The people Of Chicago were not a s
honest as they are in other places, for
they maintained that the plan had
worked well elsewhere. Possibly it did !,
but not in Chicago, and to-day the last
Of this class of restaurant has given
way to another much Of the same class,
but in which an enploye selects the
checks one is to pay. IS
St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1899-08-12

truly ATr1er1c q n.
This great de-
1nand for pie has
made several men
rich. OF one man
at least it has
made a million
aire. The profits
on pie has bought.
newspapers, and
more, it has run
them when they
could not ru n
themselv G S. I 7
has figured prom
inently in nation-
l.4. -
St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1899-08-12

made possible the changing Of the poll
tics of Il great daily paper on the eve
Of an important campaign when 4
change WIS necessary for rile good of
the party the paper was to represent.
In fact it has made millionaire of at
least one man who started in the pie
St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1899-08-12

take mean advantage of the shell
worker and bet on sure thing. so he
produces his money and makes the bet
and then, when the shell is lifted, the
little bail has mysteriously disap-
peared.
tsBut 1 saw it under there just
moment ago." says the disappointed
gambler.
That's where he betrays himself.
The crowd laughs at him. No one has
any sympathy for him because, accord
ing TO his own admission, he was try
ing to take the shell workers money
without any risk of his own.
Years ago, when I was accustomed to
visit county fairs and watch the glib