The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1899-02-24
SEEKING VETERANS.
Woman Who Trap Old Soldiers for
Their Pensions.

SEEKING VETERANS.
Woman Who Trap Old Soldiers for
Their Pensions.
The large colony of women who have
gone to Hallowell and Gardner, Me-,
to prey upon the inmates of the soldiers
home at this place are in a state of
panic over the recent suggestion of
Pension Commissioner Evans, who has
recommended to congress that no pen
sions be granted the widows of soldiers
who are married hereafter, says the
New York Sun.
Many veterans who live at the home
are trapped into marriage every year by
women who seek the SIP month pen
sion which will come to them on the
death of their husbands. Most of these
women have had regulations and no
character. Having led gay lives in the
cities until their beauty is gone, they
seek marriage with the old soldiers for
the sole purpose of inheriting pensions.
After capturing husbands most of the
women go back to the cities and cause
no more trouble until death carries off
the veterans and the widows pensions
may be obtained.
There are a dozen places near the
home, all of which do a thriving bust
ness by Turing the veterans inside and
filling them up with liquor until they
fall an easy prey to the women who
are waiting for husbands. In case a
man refuses to drink and shows resist
ance he is quieted with club, or any
thing else that comes handy. Last
spring an inmate of the home was killed
in a free fight in one of these dens.
Commissioner Evans declaration
strikes at the root of the evil and is
causing the women to redouble their
efforts. Unless they get husbands be-
fore congress meets, they fear their
prospects of pensions will fade. New
women are coming here from Boston
and New York, and the dives are, wide
open. A man who wears Grand Army
badge can stay drunk for month and
never spend cent. The local police are
making efforts to close the places, but
as fast as one is shut up others are
started, and the business goes on as
briskly as ever.
NOVELTY MILLS OF MAINE.
Make SpOols, Skewers, Toothpicks,
Dice Boxes and Baby Sleighs.
The spool factories of Maine turn out
annually about CSC, OOO,O 900 spools, which
Withhold 50,OOO,O0o,00O yards of thread
200 yards to the spool. There are II of
these factories in the state, employ
ing $50 hands, at average wages of
$3.50 day each, or $247, 500 year total.
In the making of the spools, 10000
cords of white birch timber, or 1885,
900 feet are used. This timber is worth
four dollars cord. A large part of the
spool timber cut in Maine is not man
ufactured here, but shipped from
Bangor to great factories in England
and Scotland. This year Bangor export
ed 6,97S,66S feet of spool bars to the
United Kingdom, the value being S144.-
GOO, and more will be shipped next year.
There is practically no limit to the sup
ply of white birch available.
The so-called novelty mills" of
Maine are numerous all through the
hard wood districts. In these mills are
turned out all kinds of little wooden
BOXES, many of which are used by
druggists; checker boxes, checkers.
Gee boxes, wooden shoppers, handles
OF 4 thousand kinds and shapes. TOOTH
Plc'.s by the million. ladders, swings.
school desks and chairs, toy carts and
wEeeibdrrows, tables, desks, cycle
stands, baby sleighs, and other things
too numerous to mention. The largest
novelty factory in the world is at
South P:-is. Oxford county, where
about 200 lands are employed.
y Dixfe.d factory has Just completed
an crGer ror 100000 checkers and
2C'eco ti"e boxes, and at another fac
tors in the same town they have made
tla;s year F2.5,ooo.ooo toothpicks. One
flrm has iasde 100000 skewers. sucb
as are used by butchers. Wooden hi
cycle rims .,-e also an important article
81 manu1a~, are. The product of these
factories gees to all parts of the world
ne tim Der used was once considered