Omaha daily bee., 1899-08-20
SHORT STORIES OF The DAY
Some Interesting Interviews on Subjects
Before the Public Eye,
OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUNG SOCIETY MEN
Few Legal Marriages In Porto Rico
Prize Fighting. as n Profitable
Observation-Disclosures Relies
from Cuban BnttIefeIds

HdIuIeu anu JONlal CndTlle lNulnef1Ofu, we'll
known railroad man, to a dapper looking
young gentleman who appeared at his ONCE
yesterday with a letter OF introduction from
one Of Rutherford's eastern friends.
mo, sir; I have not yet arrived at that
happy stage in my career, was the reply.
We'll, what in thunder are you looking
for a position as a stenographer for? DO
you want to work, man, or do you want a
position OF ease and Incidence where each
day is a continual round OF pleasure from
the time you arise in the morning until you
seek your downy couch at night?'
This was rather a startling question, and
the possibility Of a Job, such as described by
Rutherford, being vacant, caused the several
bystanders to listen intently for further par
%ticulars. A travelling passenger agent who
had been delineating the superior advantages
OF his route to a prospective passenger eK-
cused himself and edged along the counter
to where he could hear the story better. A
young man about town who had dropped into
the office to see about a ticket to Chicago
was all attention In a minute because he had
been trying to persuade himself for some
time that he ought to go to work, and such
a position as Rutherford had briefly pictured
seemed to him just about his size. Others
were none the less Interested and waited for
Rutherford to reiight his cigar and proceed.
81 know a place where a young man like
you can secure ready employment, where
your board will be provided for at one Of
the SWEETEST hotels In the west, where you
can dress In such a way that you will be
a tailor's walking model, where everything
will be paid, with plenty Of spending money
on the side"
The face OF the young man addressed was
a reflection of all the others. 1t had shaped
itself into an appealing look of interroga-
ton and seemed to cry out, Where, oh,
where?" in lieu OF the power of speech which
for the moment apparently had fed.
You want to know where, eh? Why, out
at Manitou. l just returned from that place
and there are about fifty women for every
man at all of the hotels. Anything OF the
male persuasion is strictly in demand and a
young fellow of good appearance, who can
two-step and waltz, is away above par.
They are Offering good salaries for men at
all the hotels there, and II a few are not
imported pretty soon the young girls and
their maiden aunts will be hiking out for
some other cline where men are more
plentiful.
A newspaper man was among the inter-
ested auditors to Rutherford's narrative, and
after II was finished he was called to one
side and told, confidentially, that Rutherford
was evidently putting up the talk for the
purpose Of increasing travel over the Rock
Island to Manitou and other western resorts.
There are very few legally married peo-
pie in Porto Rico" remarked a returned
American officer who is staying in Omaha.
How is that?" he was asked. "a mar
riage license in Porto Rico costs fifty dol
lars" said he. and the poor people can't
IL, = CO ,,,not ~ than, 1;ya fpoathor with
out getting married. However. they con-
slider their relations and obligations Just as
sacred as II they had taken out a fifty-dollar
license and paid the priest an extra fee
for tying the nuptial knot. They seem just
as happy, too, without the aid of the priest.
They consider themselves man and wife in
every sense, and take care of their children
as we'll as their circumstances will permit"
"Does prize fighting pay?" was asked OF
Tommy White, the feather weight, when he
was in own the other day. "Of course 1t
does, or l would not be following it, he re-
piled. IL was a bookkeeper in Chicago at a
salary of SIS per month. Thinking that I
could make a great deal more money than
that by entering the ring l prepared my
self under a good trainer and then jumped
in. 1 have been very successful owing to
ihy itNh, ioi 40 "a bSoo tSoA Va Y
in this fighting business. l have had twelve
fights so far this year and they have netted
me an average of $500 each, making a total
of 81, 500 clear money in seven months. I
am booked for three more fights during the
next thirty days. Prize lighting beats book
keeping, and / am in the ring to stay as
long as l see good money ahead. II / don't
accumulate enough to retire op before be-
coming a has BEEN l can fall back on
bookkeeping"
There is a very valuable and interesting
collection OF relics from the battlefelds
about Santiago in the office Of the city comp
troller in the city hall. The owner of the
collection, who is also the man who gath
cred the articles together, Is too modest to
allow his name to be used. although he la
beled the treasures himself. The collection
is doubly valuable for the reason that it
brings to light several Important facts
about the war hitherto entirely unnoticed.
IL not actually unknown.
For instance, one of the relics bears the
label, Portion of a horseshoe from General
Skaters mule" 1t will be a matter Of sur
prise to a great many Americans to learn
that Shafter rode a mule. Richard
Harding Davis and the other high-priced
correspondents have entirely overlooked
that important point. Another relic Is q
pipe stem used by a Spanish soldier. From
this 1t can be seen that the Spanish made
use Of exactly the same kind Of pipe stems
that are used In cob pipes in this country.
Some psychologists hold that this shows
that the Spanish in the trenches about San
tiago were very poor, while others equally
eminent believe that 1t shows the Spanish
soldiers already had a weakness for Amer
lean things before they surrendered and
were therefore much easier "meat" than
they would otherwise have bsen.
A part of General Pandos watch chain, or
the charm from it, is among the relies. 1t
is a woman's hand fashioned in gold, pos
sibly modelled after the devoted hand that
waved the general goodby as he left home
to practice Horace Greeley's ~favorite ad-
vice. 1t was accidentally detache from
the generals watch chain as he pulled out
his watch to see II it was time to report
the regular hourly victory by cable to the
home government. Afterward II was run
over by cannon wheels and trampled under
the feet Of galloping Rough Riders lit will
be remembered that that regiment was UNI
mounted In Cuba and the members did their
own galloping) but when II was found by
its present owner It was unhesitatingly iden-
titled as belonging TO the great Spanish gem