davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The evening times., 1899-06-17
TO FIND sMoKELEss POWDER.
An Invention to Locate nm Enemy
Protected by 1t.

Pittsburg. Pa, June 17.-Reginaid A.
Fessenden. professor of electric engineer
ing at the Western University OF Pennsyl-
vania, declares that with a telescope which
he is now perfecting soldiers can detect
the location of hostile forces using smoke
less powder. Secretary Alger thinks
enough of the claims of the inventor TO
consider the invention. Special interest
is taken in the matter by the Administra-
tion because of the costly experience Of
American troops in Cuba and the Philip
pines.
The chemicals in smokeless powder are
such as TO produce white flash. which Is
invisible to the naked eye. in the daytime.
Prof. Fessenden procured from the arsenal
here some cartridges charged with smoke
less powder, became convinced that the
fash could be made visible by some agen-
cy that would cause a reproduction on its
surface of the powder fash With the as
sistance of Prof F. F. o. Wadsworth, di-
rector CT the Allegheny Observatory, he
began experiments to ascertain what wave
colors the fash would produce upon various
colored glass. He finally found that a
glass of reddish brown shade produced the
effect he wanted-that Of showing the flash
as it would appear at night when a red
flash can be noticed.
He afterward constructed telescope and
eyeglasses for use according to the dis
tance of the observer from the gun. For
some time he has been in correspondence
with War Department officials, and will
make trip to Washington soon to explain
his apparatus and make tests before an
examining board, which will take action
toward urging the purchase Of Prof. Fes-
sender's invention.
The professor regards the invention as
secret of the nation and refuses to give de-
tails as to the apparatus. The professor
is the inventor of numerous electrical ap-
pliances. and before coming to the uniyer-
sity worked under Edison.
The evening times., 1899-06-17
Origin of n slang Expression
(from the Detroit Free Pres


Ernest McGaffey. nimrod. angler. poet jour
nalist. and lawyer-Pooh Bah McGaaey. as il
werc-came into the Press Club looking smiling
and happy. though he had Just won 4 case
finished poem The evidence in his face
of something pleasing was marked that OF
the boys enuuired:
well. what is it. Mac? What have you found?''
Found was the reply; chow could anything
be found9 There is nothing new under the
sun"
'Wfat have you been up against -
''Why, George Horton and have been dicuss-
ing the origin of slang phrases. and he has them
all down pretty fine. ! thought had him once.
but he got out slick weasel. ! did not
believe he could find any old-tnie origin for
the expression common not long ago about
You're not the only pebble on the beach,. and
Not the only tomato in the can,' and the like,
but he shot it of like fash. A large per-
centage had come from Shakespeare. and by far
the greater part had been found among the poets.
This saving. il seems. originated with Byron,
and will be found in the satircal rhyming inter
lude or ,1ledication preceding Don Juan The
poem. it seems. dedicated to Southey. The
dedicauoo begins:
"a Bob SOuthsy, you're poct-poet laureate and
representative of all the race.
Although 'ts true that you've turned out To-
ry at last-you have lately been common
And now. my epic renegade. what you at?
With all the Iakers in and out of place.
A nest OF tuneful persons TO my eye.
Like four and twenty blackbirds in a pie
recites the whole story. told much shorter and
better rin the nursery book, and finally winds up
with the line:
:. .YoItre not the only blackbird in the pie
''There is no use; don't believe that any cant
phrase or slang expression be found that its
origin cannot be traced back to some such source
as this. tell you. there is nothing under
the sun.
The evening times., 1899-06-17
Jung Lu and KanE vi Rule China.

tFrom the North China Daily News-)
According to our native correspondent at Pekin,
China is ruled by two Manchus- namely. the
Grand Secretary Jung Lu and the Assistant Grand
Secretary Hang vi The Empress Dowagcr defcrs
implicitly to the advice of these two men, who are
clever enough to give the credit and responsibility
OF all their decisions TO the Empress Dowager.
The great ambition of Jung Lu is to be pro-
claimed Grand Generalissimo Of the forces Of the
whole Empire, and he has been working his best
to bring the 10000 $1,000 men under his
special command in Chilli province up to the
best state possible, far within him lies. in
regard to modern equipments and discipline.
Hence he does not often interfere in purely
civil departmental matters. these being generally
left to Kang vi, who has the reputation of being
. bigot, and the bitterest enemy OF the reform
party. Jung Lu. who is more Of soldier, being
the nearest living relative of the Empress
Dowager. has naturally the most influence over
her. He is much less Of a bigot and has hth-
erto always counseled moderation and effectually
prevented the sword-and-fre policy of Kang vi
gainst the reform party and against all for
eigners for that matter. Jung La, therefore, pos
sesses more popularity among the masses than
any half dozen mandarins put together in Pckin.
The evening times., 1899-06-17
Inland Recruits for the Navy.

1t IS reported that when recruiting
Office for the navy opened in st. Louis not
long ago, there was so large crowd on
hand that the police had to clear the build
ing of the would-be recruits so that the
naval officers might do their work. a
squad of police was kept downstairs all
the first day, to prevent the candidates
from swarming into the Office too rapidly.
An inland recruiting Office for the navy
is rather a novelty, as il has hitherto been
possible to find in the seacoast cities
enough men to fill all the vacancies in that
branch of the service, and the tacit sup
position has been that inland men, know
ing nothing about seamanship. would not
be good material. But there is really no
reason why the navy should not be re-
cruited from any part of the country
tering the service The idea that farmer
boys cannot be good sailors is, when one
comes to think of it. somewhat absurd.
In the first place. the farmers OF
many Of the inland regions of the
United States are either foreigners
or immigrants from the Eastern
States. particularly New England, which
has been practically drained of her young
men in furnishing settlers for the West.
A generation ago New England was the
seafaring section of the country. The men
on the coast were sailors and fishermen as
matter of course, and the farms in the
interior furnished yearly contributions TO
the whaling expeditions and the India
trade. The foreign settlers in the West
also come from countries in which sea-
faring men predominate. The Germans
and Scandinavians furnish half the crews
in the merchant service of England. it is
said. and they are TO be found all through
the Middle West in great numbers. There
fore. since Western youths are only one or
two generations away from seafaring life.
there is no reason why they should not
take to the training of the navy as quickly
as those born and brought up in seacoast
STATES
The evening times., 1899-06-17
The Horrors of HannaviIIe.

Press advices from Cleveland Ohio. the
home of Marcus A. Hanna, do not :epre-
sent condition of peace and brotherly love
in that city. Mobs of large and increasing
size hold up street cars. assault and beat
conductors and motormen, and apparently
have practical possession of the streets,
while the police are much in the position
of our troops in the Philippines They
charge and disperse the rioters in tha most
exemplary and brilliant manner; but the
! latter are like the Filipinos. AS soon as
they are dispersed. and the police adju-
tant notifies the public that they are not
likely in future TO make any determined
! stand in the southern wards of the city,
. they only swarm in greater masses, and
fight tear UP tracks, and smash things
worse than ever.
What are the poor Hannavillians TO do:
Their guide. philosopher. and friend is on
the raging main. steaming TO Europe TO
get rid of his rheumatism, while some
thing worse than rheumatism is going on
at his sacred home. 1t is bad time for
him to be away. These violent strike dis
! turbances are terribly destructive Of good
| order and good government. but they are
still more fatal to Republican votes. The
riot of Brutus' union men at Pompeys
Pillar led to the political as well as the
physical undoing of julius Caesar. the ma
chine boss Of his day. The Homestead
Pinkerton- Carnegie outbreak in Pennsyl-
vania wrecked the boom of Benjamin Har-
rison, the great refrigerator. Now the
Cleveland insurrection threatens unhappy
things for the Hanna -Alger Mckinley
combine.
1t is an acute situation. Under ordi-
nary circumstances the State militia might
be called out. Unfortunately there is rot
any State militia. II all went TO the fever
camps during the Spanish war. and most
OF it lies buried along with the beef that
did its business. Nothing seems TO remain
for the cause OF Cleveland's best business
interests but arbitration. if the labor
element will submit to that. or uncondi-
tional surrender. The difficulty is hor-
rifying one; it may produce the most fear
full consequences in the course OF the STATE
mpaign-ccnsequences which possibly
may lap over into the Presidential one.
And all this time the Cleveland Warwick,
Hanna, leans wearly over the rail of his
ocean liner and wots not of the fray. only
wishing that he were dead and picked in
preseryatine.
The evening times., 1899-06-17
OFFICIAL CRIME IN CHICAGO.
Serious Charges Made BefOre the
n IN rial

SeriOuS Sn0rHeS M00e be1Ore tne
Baxter Senatorial Committee.
Chicago June 1.-THE Baxter Sentorial
Committee has unearthed another lot Of
| corruption on the part of Chicago's police.
Completely with burglars and crooks was
charged. Fred Sievert, tailor at 13S Mil
waukee Avenue, testified that some time
ago his store was robbed of $1,000 worth
of goods. He reported the robbery and a
day or two later Police Lieutenant Jurs.
of the West Chicago Avenue station,
brought a man, who he said was a for
mer convict, to Sievert's store. He said
the man knew most of the crooks and that
for a consideration he would agree to re-
store the goods. Sievert paid $500 into the
hands Of lawyer and his stolen goods
were returned to him.
A. johnson, tailor at 359 Grand Avenue
testified to similar experience with Jurs
The injustice of Chicago's special assess
ment system was explained by Robert c..
Givins, real estate dealer.
Commissioner of Public Works McGann
was recalled and admitted that sthe city
inspectors who incorrectly or dishonesty
measured the street repair work of Con-
tractor Mccarthy were still in the city's
employ and that nothing was ever done 10
punish them for their inefficiency or dis
honesty. K. II. Buckley a special assess
ment commissioner. testified that Heaton
Osley. Mayor HarrisOn's brother n-law.
and Captain" Jimmy Farrell commander
OF the Cook County Democracy's Marching
Club. and a political hanger-on each re-
ceived $50 for merely signing special as
sessment order, though neither ever exam
ined the property assessed.
The evening times., 1899-06-17
The Case of Miss wilkins.

1t appears that Miss Mary f. wilkins
the demure New England novelist, has
fallen under the condemnation of certain
Methodist ministers, who have declared
that one of her recent stories. jerome.
is not fit for young persons to peruse.
This is somewhat startling statement in
this day and generation, when young per-
sons are not enjoined from reading any
thing which happens to be in the house
and which they happen to want to read /;
and it is still more surprising that Miss
wilkins, of all people, should have been
made the object of such discrimination.
So far as the general character of her
books has been observed, they seem to be
irreproachable from a moral point Of view.
The people delineated in them are the sort
of people who think it immoral to visit
an old lady who knits ON the Sabbath day.
and who rip quilts to pieces twice for the
sake Of being sure that the person for
whom the quilt is intended has all the
calico to which she is rightfuliy entitled.
The offences over which her heroes en-
dure travail of soul are such as sitting
on church steps once week. in rain or
shine. for fifty years or thereabouts; her
heroines are guilty of nothing worse than
staying away from church and refusing to
buy new bonnets. Why. then, do these
parsons object to the perusal of such books
by the youthful members of their congre-
cations? Do they want Miss wilkins to
make her characters even more rigid in
propriety than they already are? Do they
want her to transfer her local color en-
tirely to the graveyard?
The trouble. on investigation, proves to
be that some Of the characters in the book
called Jerome sometimes say DAMN
and that the whole word is spelled out in
stead OF being indicated discreetly by a
dash. This the ministers regard as i'm
moral.
The first emotion excited In the breast
OF the average reader by this news will
be one Of pleasurable amazement. The un
exceptionable occurrences of the conversa-
ton Of Miss wilkins characters is of sort
to make one wonder il this writer does
not sometimes long to go out behind the
barn and hire some one to swear for her.
II this waste of propriety has at last been
broken by an oasis OF expie;ive 1t will
relieve the public mind and impart an
atmosphere Of naturalness to the whole Of
the authors work.
As for the effect upon the young, 1t II
The evening times., 1899-06-17
DESERTED HIS CHILD AT SEA.
Makes Her nm Orphan by Suicide In
the Ocean.


arrived yesterday little Julia Lichtner. one
of the prettiest children ever seen in the
Barge Office. Her father. Joseph LIGHT
ner, committed suicide by jumping from
the Cymric, which sailed from New York,
May "a. He had lived for fifteen years at
the corner of Eighth Street and Avenue c,
where he kept a store.
Mrs Lichtner the mother of Julia, died
z few months ago. and the lonely hus-
band sought a change and forgetfulness in
a visit 10 his old associations in Hun
gary Dependency overcame him at sea
and he jumped overheard.
The passengers then raised 1925 for the
forlorn little girl. She was cared for in
Liverpool by the White Star Steamship
Company and sent back on the Germanic.
The board of special enquiry. which
looks into all such cases. is trying to learn
if Joseph Lichtner was a citizen Of this
country II he was naturalized the child
is entitled 10 the protection and care OF
the city Otherwise Julia might be le-
galIy sent back TO her fathers native coun-
try. The White Star Steamship Company
wishes TO place the child in an orphan asyl-
um The company has about $3.50 collected
for Julia's benefit
The girl Is prettily dressed IN darh
green gown with a short skirt. She has
rough coat of checked red and black and
tiny travelling cap. Her face is oval. her
complexion olive. and her eyes and lux
uriant hair dark brown.
Julia refuses TO converse in German. Il
am a New York girl. l am an American,
and will run away from an orphan asyi-
um' she said to Mrs. Strickland, the ma
tron She has a little brother, who is
newsboy. but TOO young TO support her
The case will be decided on Monday.
when she will probably be sent to an or
phan asylum or TO the Baroness de Hirsch
Home. The United Hebrew Charities have
ordered Commissioner OF immigration
Fitchie to spare no expense to make Julia
comfortable upon the detention steamboat
Narragansett at Ellis Island. Julia sat in
the Barge Office weeping softly to herself
alr.,cas. all ylsf erday
The evening times., 1899-06-17
WORK ON THE COLUMBIA.
The New Cup Defender Expected to
He Com mpleted by Next TuendnY

lhe new Sup Dehen0eR Expected to
He Completed by Next Tuesday.
Bristol, r. l.. June 1.-THE old cup
defending sloop yacht Defender. which was
hauled out last Tuesday for repairs, was
launched shortly before noon yesterday,
and two hours later sailed for Newport.
Defender was hauled out for the purpose
Of having the manganese bronze plating
on the underwater body cleaned, her alu-
minum topsides painted and repairs made
on the deck where the topsail club went
through when it fell from aloft off New
port two weeks ago.
Defender made fine appearance as she
was lowered down the railway on the
cradle. little trouble was experienced at
the end OF the launching ways, but after
few minutes exertion the old cup champion
foated out of the cradle easily and was
soon out at anchor moorings, where she
was towed by the steam launch May. Her
topmast was sent aloft shortly afterwards.
and after a final conference with C. oliver
iselin who had returned from his trip
to New York, Captain Rhodes spread his
working sails and left the harbor at a
rapid clip.
The extra force OF riggers on board the
Columbia are making their work Of setting
up the standing rigging show up to con-
siderable extent, and by the close of the
days labor the shrouds were all set.
Strenuous efforts are being made to have
the Columbia rugged by tonight.
The tender st. Michaels arrived yester-
day from New York with an Oregon pine
boom for the Columbia. 1t will be used il
the steel boom is not ready in time.
Columbia's s topmast arrived by rail from
Boston yesterday and is ready to be sent
up. Her bowsprit was set yesterday 1t
extends outward twenty-seven feet and
is firmly secured by galvanized steel cyl
inders.
From the best information obtainable it
will not be possible to get all the work
planned for Columbia done before next
Tuesday. Compartments are yet TO be
put into her cabin. a thorough job is to be
done on her slanting rigging. another cCat
OF paint may be given her topsides, and 1t
is expected that by Tuesday next the steel
boom now being rushed in the north shop
will be ready. One section remains to be
finished up. The bending of her sails will
be an easy task and quickly accomplished
when her crew of forty is set to work
The evening times., 1899-06-17
FIRE ENGINE STARTS A BLAZE.
Result of False Alarm to Test
Sailors and Marines.

Philadelphia, June 1.-THE United
States cruiser Columbia, lying at League
Island. caught fire yesterday afternoon
while a detail was being put through the
fire drill. No serious damage was done.
1t appears that at certain intervals the
marines and sailors at the yard are put
through fire dill. The alarm was sound
ed and the men were summoned TO man
the engine. Down through the yard to-
ward The wharf they rushed.
The men hurried along with the engine
to. the point where the alarm had BEEN
sounded. which chanced to be the cruiser
Columbia There they stopped and began
to look for the fire. Not man in the
company knew that a false alarm had
been sounded. and they were in earne t.
Suddenly it was noticed that the Columbia
was in flames, and investigation proved
that the flames were started by sparks
from the fire engine.
An alarm was snt in by telephone TO the
Electrical Bureau. and two police fire.
boats were despatched to the navy yard.
When the latter arrived there ii was an
nounced that the flames had been extin-
guished and that no serious damage had
been done.
The evening times., 1899-06-17
Grandfather WINS Caught.

(From the New England Home Magazine.)
A grandfather. well known in the English
House Of Commons. was chatting amicably with
his little granddaughter, who was snu.,ly en-
sconced on his knee.
"What makes your hair SO white. grandpa?"
the little miss queried
II am very old. my dear; was in the ark, +"
replied his lordship. with painful disregard of
the truth
.'Ch. are you Noah?'
"No."
Are you Shcm. them"
'.No, am not Shem.''
Are you Ham?"
"No."
Then said the little one. who was fast near
ing the limit Of her Biblical knowledge .'you
must be Japhet.'
negative reply was given to this question
also. for the old gentleman inwardly wondered
what the outcome would be.
but. grandpa. If you not Noal or Shem,
or Ham, or Japhet, you must be beast"
The evening times., 1899-06-17
CAPTAIN BARNEY's DEATH.
His Heroic Service in Federal and
COnfede rnte Navier.

Fredericksburg. Va. June 11.-Capt.
Joseph Nicholson Barney died last evening
at his home here after an illness Of thirty
days. aged eighty -one years. He was born
in Baltimore and was a son of Hon. John
Barney. who served in Congress in the '40s,
and grandson of Commodore Joshua Bar
ney. of the United States Navy. for whom
one of the Government gunboats now be-
ing built at Bath. Me, was named. Cap
tain Barney entered the Naval Academy
at Annapolis. Md. in 1882, and graduated
in 1895 at the head of his class. From
that time uneil 1861 he served afloat. vis-
iting all parts of the world.
At the beginning of the civil war. while
in the Mediterranean on the steamship
Susquehanna, he resigned and came South.
He commanded the Confederate ship
jamestown in the battle of Hampton
Roads and cut out Federal schooner
close under the guns of the Monitor. and
upon his return with his prize in low he
was cheered for the brave act by the crews
of the foreign vessels present. After the
evacuation of Norfolk the jamestown vas
sunk at Drury's Bluff. Her guns. how
ever, were the main factors in defeating
the Monitor and Galena in the attack on
Richmond. and for this Captain Barney re-
ceived the thanks of the Confederate ccn-
gress.
Captain Barney successfully commanded
the Harriet Lane in the Gulf of Mexico.
and the Florida at Brest. France. For
more than twenty years he had been IN ac
tive business in this city. and up to the
beginning of his illness was at his cffice
daily. He was an elder in the PresDyter-
ian Church. He married Miss Fannie S.
Dornin. daughter OF the late Commodore
Dornin. United States Navy. who. with
eight children survives him.
The evening times., 1899-06-17
Nothing to Do with the Case.

(from the Cleveland Plain Dealer.)
Somebody the other day repeated story Of
Senator Jones, which was told at Roadside clut
dinner not long ago.
The incident was the result of one of Presi
dent Cleveland's vetoes. The President had We
toed old woman's pension bill on the ground:
that ''she got dunk"
''Once in San Francisco" said Senator Jones'
as he discussed the veto on the Senate ncor
"a fell into a hole in the sidewalk and
sued the city for his injuries. The defence put
in was that the man was drunk This nightly
incensed the court.
There is nothing in such defence said thu
judge, savagely; a drunken man has as much
right to have perfect sidewalk as sober man
and needs worse
That" concluded Jones' sis the way I fee
about this old lady's pension And he voted
to pass it over the veto. The pension went
through.