davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The evening times., 1899-12-22
Hanged for Burning Coal.


There will be interesting function in Lon
don shortly, when the coal exchange celebrates
its jubilee. The occasion is one for recalling
strange remembrances: for lately as the four
teenth century prohibition issued against
the burning of coal, with severe penalties de-
creed against any person who warmed his house
by a coal fire. In the early days Of Lord Mayor
Wilmington the burning of coal was considered
great public nuisance that it made
capital offence, and man actually hang
ed for indulging in coal fire. As matter Of
fact, this ordinance was never repealed; but in
"Dick Whittington's' third mayoralty it is evi.
dent there was q great trade In coal; and the
suggestion has been made that as coal was
brought to London in boats known as the 'cats,"
this the real origin Of the story of Dick
Wilmington and his cat. The coal exchange.
however, is a modern institution. II is alone
one of the most important Of London's marts.
Under the shadow Of its domed roof commercial
transactions daily carried through of greater
value than in connection with any other mercan-
tile building in the world Unlike the corn ex-
change in Mark Lane, it is not private con-
cern, but is city market, conducted on the same
principles as the other markets opened by the
city corporation. Opened with much ceremony
in December, 1s4a, by the prince consort, the
present building is Just about to celebrate its
jubilee. But the market itself is older than
the builSlng Up 10 1897 it was in the hands Of
private individuals, but in that year it was
purchased by the corporation for SOS 600.
The evening times., 1899-12-22

There is a report not as yet sufficiently
confirmed to be accepted without reserve,
that Italian troops are to replace the Brit
ism garrisons in Egypt, the latter to be
sent for service in South Africa. II true,
this is a development of great international
importance as it would demonstrate the
existence of a positive alliance between
England and Italy, and hence between
England and the triple alliance. which binds
Germany, Austria. and Italy to common in
ternational and military policies. Under
such conditions the danger of European in
reference in any direction opposed TO
British interests would seem TO be remote.
The evening times., 1899-12-22
English Teachers Salaries.


Salaries among masters in elementary schools
are gradually rising, and approaching the
standard which curate hopes TO attain in the
Church. According to the report Of the Com
mittee OF Council on Education. the average
salary Of a certiHcated master, which in 1870 WAS
f94 2s Id, is now EI24 Is lid: that Of q
schoolmistress was e57 lis Id in 1870. and is now
eSs Is Id. In addition. to their other emolu-
ments GOA ont of 3, 545 masters and 4,49i out
of 1896 mistrcsses, are provided with residences
free Of rent
But these figures hardly show the augmenta-
tion which has really taken place. because while
in 1870 nearly all the certifcated teachers were
then in charge Of schools, about half OF them
are now teaching Us assistants. In order to show
the rise In the salaries of principal teachers a
comparison must be made between the salaries
of all certihcated teachers in, say 1siI, with
principal teachers only in 1898.
Thus. from fl06 lss I'D in the aforementioned
year. the average salary OF n certifcated master
has risen ito HIs2 o. I'd, an increase OF 32.1 per
cent in twenty-iour years; and the G63 l2s 3d.
the average salary of a certifcated mistress in
1874, has risen to s9l 15s, an increase of it.4
per cent.
The evening times., 1899-12-22
The Decrease of Crime.

That individual known as the pessi-
mist. and who appears to regard the down
fall of men as an excellent thing because it
vindicates his opinions and gratifies his
cynlcism, will not be delighted with the
report of the State Prison Commission of
New York. There is no topic for discus
sion more pleasing to the person who pre-
tends to believe that civilization is rank
failure than the question whether crime
is on the increase or decrease. The ex-
PLANTATION for his satisfaction when this
query is broached is that he is never caught
unprepared to marshal an imposing array
OF statistics in proof of his persistent dec
iaration that mankind is going to the dogs,
rapid transit that anyone who tries to pre-
vent it is as silly as the aged dame who
sought to sweep back the sea with her
broom. The skeptic always takes the great
est pains to preserve the records of the
evil that men do, but ignores every indica-
tion that humanity is developing its good
side because there is nothing sensational
in being virtuous, while all abnormality
has the power of attracting general atten-
tion.
Inc pesslmist. IN his 1ll-Judged haste,
seeing one dog in the contortions of the
rabies. would impetuously declare that the
whole canine race was menace and
ought to be removed. He would fail to
remember that he had observed hundreds
Of other dogs which had exhibited no symp-
toms Of madness and which had unosten-
tatiously fulfilled their missions, either as
guards or pets or companions.
The man who stubbornly contends that
there is comprehensive deterioration of
the human race. physical, mental, and
moral. is seldom open to conviction He
wants his news very yellow because il
corrcborates his prejudices against the
forward tendency of things and when he
finds that which indicates the existence of
q regenerative leaven. working beneath the
surface Of the social organization and sig
The evening times., 1899-12-22

nifying that. although some are falling by
the wayside. the great army of humanity
| Is slowly and silently pressing onward like
| the Alpine glacier he impatiently tosses it
aside as being dull and uninteresting.
The pessimist Is seldom appreciatiye of
proportion. He frequently fails to take
| into consideration the increase Of popula-
tion. and. because there may have been a
greater number of convictions for offences
agninst law and order In 1898 than there
were in 1883. his verdict is that the world
| must be growing, worse. He judges man
Kind from its moral monstrosities and not
| its normal specimen. He takes the morbid
criminal as type rather than as an ex-
ment on the whole Of civilization, because
some individuals have turned out to be
moral and physical savages.
But the quiet optimist Will find in the
report of the Empire State Prison Commits
sion, previously referred to- fats that will
enable him TO keep up his courage and not
abandon his faith in humanity or civi.iza-
ton. The reports gathered from the renal
institutions of New York during the year
pant SHOW cOnciuslSeiy tnat crime IN tnat
Commonwealth is on the decrease, notwith-
standing the fact that the Empire State
and the metropolis especially have been
rendered conspicuous recently through the
exploitation of melodramatic murder trials.
In 1895 there were confined in New
Yort's penitentiaries 4.60s prisoners. and
In 1897 the inmates numbered 2.S24. Dur
ing the year ended October / last. there
was a further decrease of over 600. the total
number being 2,22i. In every peni,entiary
except that of New York county the num-
ber of inmates had diminished, and in that
county the increase was very sma CON-
pared with previous records.
New York State has in many ways set
theapace for the Union. and it is not unduly
optimistic to hope that the repoi is from
other sections of the country will show
corresponding diminution in the number of
offenders. But, whether statistics ess-
where will or will not indicate the decrease
Of evildoers, it is gratifying to know that
IN one State at least. and a State that is
most likely to be Indicative of the ten
dency Of the nations affairs. there is such
conspicuous improvement.
The evening times., 1899-12-22

About Christmas time it is always pleas
ant and useful to be able TO turn a penny
outside of ones salary or ordinary emolu-
ments. We mention the matter, because
the British Government is said TO be in the
market for a let of vessels TO be used as
army transports. We should fancy that
this ought to furnish an opportunity for
the statesmen, private secretaries. and mes
ssursrg who made a few millions out Of
the purchase of transports for the United
States during the Spanish war. 1t is hard
ly conceivable that the stock of old tank
tramps. condemned coasters. tugs, and ca
nal boats upon which they then drew so
1fiicaciously and proftably can have been
exhausted. They should visit the marine
cemeteries and communicate with Her Ma
iesty's officers without delay. Not all the
Nerrimacs in the world have bzeu Samp
soned.
The evening times., 1899-12-22
A Monster Locomotive.

What is probably the heaviest locomotive ever
built and the largest one likely TO he construct
ed anywhere in the world for time. has jus.
been turned to the Illinois Genital Railroad
Company for freight service by the Brooks Loco
motive Works. of Dunkirk. Its weight. not
counting the tender. is 232. eco pounds. 1l6
short tons Very few engines in the world weigh
over 100 tons so that this product of mechanical
skill and business enterprise greatly exceeds
the limit for such objects. No. $40. as it is
known. has eight driving wheels, ffty-seyen
inches high. and two two-whecled trucks besides.
Without its tender the length Of the engine is
fraction Of an inch more than forty-twc feet,
aud the tender adds twenty three feet seven and
one-half inches. The heating surface of tutes
and hre-box combined amounts ito $500 square
feet. The boilers expected TO carry a work
facts is added the statement that the cylinders
have diameter of twenty three inches and
stroke of thirty. the expert will at once recog-
nize The tremendous power TO be deTeioped.
The evening times., 1899-12-22
Rural Texas Justice.
tFrom the Green Bag.)

In one of the remote counties of the Panhandle
OF Texas two lawyers were trying a case before q
Justice of the peace. II was sixty miles as the
crow flies to the nearest lawbook, and the at
torneys differed, of course, to the law upon
the main issue in the They were trying the
case without the Intervention of jury, and his
Honor, who conducted gambling house in con-
nection with his hotel. saloon, and livery stable
was in doubt as 10 what his decision ought to be
Finally Miller. the plaintiffs counsel. offered to
bet Hoover, the defendants attorney. SO that he
was right. Hoover did not happen to have that
much Of the circulating medium concealed about
his person, aud was naturally at loss how to
parry this forcible argument. The court waited
few moments for Hoover, and finally said:
''Well, Mr. Hoover, the court has waited long
enough. Miller's proposition seems to be fair
one, and since you don't put up will decide this
case in favor of the plaintiff"
The evening times., 1899-12-22

Mr.. Hanna ascribes the Wall Street
nanic to oyerspeculation. but he always
does it in way which shows how sensitive
be is on the subject. He knows and does
not want the country to know that what
ever the proXimate causes of the disturb
ance may have been they would not have
been sufficient to produce the visible re-
suits which have been remarked. if all the
industrial enterprises and operations of the
nation had not been menaced with the
sweeping contraction of the currency in
vclved in Hanna gold and credit money
legislation now demanded of Congress by
the Administration
The evening times., 1899-12-22
Rigid Test for Mntrimony.
From the Chicago Inter-ocean.)

Both in the northern and western islands Of
Scotland the natives have some peculiar customs
unfamiliar to the dwellers of the mainland. One
OF these, known the marriage test" is prac.
ticed in the Island of St Kida. where the popua-
tion barely exceeds hundred. The desire among
the islands TO increase this number does not seem
TO be exceptionally strong, and every man be-
fore he is deemed suitable for husband has to
perform evolution with no little bodily risk.
The St. Kildans are, of course, adept rock climb
ers. and the aspirant for matrimony is therefore
subjected to the test OF balancing himself
one leg narrow ledge oyerhanging preci-
pice, bending his body at the same time in order
to hold the loot OF the other leg in his hands.
II found lacking in courage the maiden with.
draws her betrothal, and should the man fall
over the ledge it is presumed that, in his case,
he will be disqualified
The evening times., 1899-12-22
The Kind He Wanted.
fFronS Tit.Bits1

An cnterprisng Liverpool tailor has been
known to acknowledge that he didn't hsve any
thing possible customer might ask for.
One day customer entered the shop and asked
If he had any trousers made especially for one
legged men.
kind do You want!'
''Dress trousers said the man. ''The best
you've got"
Hurrying into the rear Of the store the en-
terprsiAg merchant snatched up pair Of
trorserse and shipped off the right leg with
pair VI scissors. Hastily turning under the edges,
he presented them to the customer.
That s the kind want. What's the price?'
s0ne eninea."
well, give me pair With the lett leg oG."
The evening times., 1899-12-22
A Roundabout Journey.
Trom the London chronicle.)

What Is the most roundabout journey that the
absence of proper steamship communication en-
tails on the inhabitants of any country Surely
it must be that described by our Consul at Loan
da. Portuguese West Africa. If one of the
6Oo0 whites Of Angola, or 200 Europeans in the
Congo independent State, who so frequently need
change of climate. wishes to spend a week or two
in Cape Town-which should lie even by slow
steamer. only six days distant-he has to travel
5000 miles from Loanda TO Madeira, catch there
a Cape steamer, and journey for another fortnight
the $500 miles to Cape Town. II thus needs fully
months continuous travelling and 4 900 miles OF
it to reach a point only 1000 miles from the
starting point.
The evening times., 1899-12-22
4 Peripatetic London Church.
Trum the London Telegrapl

st. Bartholomew's Church, Moore Lane, is once
more the move. Among ecclesiastical estab-
lishments it is a regular yagrant, but unlike most
rolling stones, il has gathered good deal of moss
in the way of endowment. Originally this ambu-
liant building stood the site of the Sun In
surance Office, but having no psrishioners, was
bodily removed to its present position about fifty
years ago. Now il is TO be demolished once more
and regretted, stone by stone, in some populous
suburb ST. Bartholomew, the Wanderer may
fairly plead that this rccrudescencc of nomadic
habits is not due to fightiness, but to the CEN
trifugal tendency of modern L0ndoners. who
longer live. like their medieval forefathers over
their places of business and play fully empty from
upper windows their dustbins on the heads Of
innocent wayfarers
The evening times., 1899-12-22
Modern Conveniences.
Erom tha Yonkers statesman. !

From the iohhers StateSn1an.)
There's some thing wrong about this story"
said the editor. "You commence by saving The
father and his family were chatting about the
cheerful freside,' and vet further on. you say
they lived in an apartment house."
Excuse me- said the reporter, taking the
manuscript and making some marks on it; ''how
will that do?''
The changed manuscript read thus: ''The faith
er and his family were chatting on the top of
the cherries radiator.''
The evening times., 1899-12-22
Congressional Directory Frills.

The Congressional Directory for this Congress
has frills-ieminine frlls, in fact. star appears
before the name of each member who is accom-
is with him and parallel lines when he has for.
warded the information that other ladies have
come with him. Only dagger appears before the
name OF Mr.. Roberts, OF Utah, who is In the d.
rectory il not in Congress. The ladies Mr.. Rob-
erts appears now to he in doubt about were left
AT home, SO the puzzle whether to use stsrs
or the parallel lines before his name was avoided
The evening times., 1899-12-22
A Magazine for Bachelors.
From the Philadelphia Times)

Two society women in Chicago-one married
and one sngle-are going to start a magazine
ment Of bachelorhood. When asked if they would
really attempt to discourage matrmony the re-
ply was: We'll. We shall approve Of bachelor
hood" 1t is the further purpose Of the new pub
lication to print fashions for men, give chatting
dish lessons, write of men about town, give
suggestions for chrstenings, tell of the duties Of
men to their typewriters. inform them how to
Keep clean on $40 week. and devote depart
ment to types OF fair men,
The evening times., 1899-12-22
Not AItogcther Apprecintivr.

From the Cleveland Plain Dcaler.)
''what's Miss Shrek sirring?''
My Hearts in the Highlands.
II wish her voice was with it,
The evening times., 1899-12-22
An Obvious Relief.
(Fronl Puck.l

tFrom Puck-l
First Tramp-Dcse people what complain of
dere work bein' too hard make tired.
Second Tramp-pey do?
First Tramp-yes. Why don't dey t'rcw up
de iobg
The evening times., 1899-12-22
CURRENT HUMoR.
Hi. Vocation.

(From the Syracuse Herald)
McSwatters-I want YOU to cure that boy OF his
domineering qualities.
Mrs. McSwatters-WhvF
Mr. McSwatters-wc aren't rearing him up to
become q ianitor.
The evening times., 1899-12-22
A Loxicnt Answer.
(From Tit-Biis.)

Teacher-How do you account for the phenon-
enon of dew?
Boy-Weli. You see. ihe earth revolves its
axis every twenty -ioU hoGis, and il consequence
of this tremendous pace il, perspires freely.
The evening times., 1899-12-22
DeIiheratc Cruelty,
ffrom the Cleveland Plain Dea

tfrom the Cleveland Plain Dealerl
''Ncs. .hr charges him wi,h cruelty
An, speciGcstiorsf'' ~
''onc she ssys he ulaliciousiy walked her
across the street just before they reached shop
where an auction sale Of ;uss was going on, and
she ncvtr heard ci it until too Late
The evening times., 1899-12-22
Not Quite Happy.
tfroni iuek.

.'so ,iic eourt Married Miss Rocks? Happy
man.
well. no. he isn't mIitc happy. What h.
would like is 4 disase-, with the custody Of his
wifc's money"
The evening times., 1899-12-22

Ii is To be hoped that packers are not.
like republics, ungrateful. 1t has been at
last decided BY the Comptroller of the
Treasury that The four hundred thousand
pounds of rotten beef iettisoned from the
transport Montauk during the Spanish
war must be paid for by the Government.
That ought TO mean nice little subscrip-
tion to Mr.. Hanna's campaign fund from
SomehodN.
The evening times., 1899-12-22

a
tion which is still eNtsnt in France at the Pana-
ma scandal that impoverished so many. the gen
ersi public make no objection to the release Of
this old man
The Emperor OF Russia is rot sure whether he
and the Empress attend the Paris Exposition.
but il they do they will be under their own
roof Tie Paris correspondent of the Daily
News says agent of the Emperor has pur-
chased for him the oddly planned house in the
Champs Elysees which Cubat turned for some
time into a restaurant. II was built BY the no.
torious Madame Da Paiva, who wound up
stormy life by marrying vastly rich nobleman
OF Silesia. The French Government has decided
not to provide lodgings well entertainments
to any of the sovereigns coming TO the exhibition.
The plan dear to the late Felix Faure of guests
palace falls thus TO the ground.
Utah claims town of $50 inhabitants. not one
OF whom is Not only women hot
allowed as residents. but they are forbidden to
enter the town limits. The unique village is
named sunnysde, and is situated in whitmcre
canyon near Price. Ii is a coal mining camp
ard is not as might be supposed. the property
of protessed women hater, but of business men.
The company which the coal mines has not
vet secured 4 perfect title to the land which
anyone establishing a home the land might
claim property rights and force the company 10
buy him cut. and il was to prevent any such
tingency arising that the company issued the
edict against the miners wives living in or
even visiting the place.
Some young women. according to the ''Phila-
delplia Record noted foreign-looking man
pushing i closed baby carriage. Their curiosity
was aroused. and of them asked 20 sec the
baby that was completely covered The man
hcstated, but finally succumbed to the girls
-lances, and, unbutioning the apron, he dis
closed small, rotund gentleman with nlust1ehe
and Napoleon. quietly chewing an unlirh.ct
cigar. The girls were speechlcSs with surprise
r.
privacy although he was tiny one under three
feet in length lie eracousIy pardoncd the wo-
men as he strokcd his mustache, and invited them
TO see him at the Export Exposition. where he
had Just arrived TO be exhibited Then. bidding
them good-by he ordered bis attendant 10 con-
tinuc with the daily ride.
The evening times., 1899-12-22

in the hotel corridors and the dull season
is on until after Congress gets back to
work. The few arrivals are those who rul
in for a day before going home &c spend
Christmas and the genial hotel clerks have
adopted the strange and dreary password
NJ nnnthiup doing"
The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-11-15
THE SHOWER IS BELlTEO
Meteoric Display Fails to OBJ
serve Schedule Time.
THERE is STILL TIME
Astronomers Have Two Days More in
Which to PUN Off the Adver-
tised Falling of the
&. So. Stars. .N .-r-s

According to astronomical prediction
teors holding forth, although no one in
Butte has witnessed the celestial dis
play Of pyrotechnics. 1t was to have
made its appearance on Monday night,
but as the showers come but once
every SO years, the astronomers allow
themselves three days in which to fix
the date of the shower, so it may come
on any day between the 18th and 18th
of this month. 1t may be that the
shower will occur during the day, in
which event it would necessarily pass
unnoticed; then it may come off dur
ing the night, and it is said that it
may extend over the period of three
nights. No one could be found yes
terday who would say that he saw
anything strange the night before in
the conduct of the heavenly planets,
and a careful search of the streets and
alleys did not disclose any indications
of fresh deposits of foreign substances.
The police kept their eyes open for
something new and strange, but they
did not report anything unusual.
Monday night was a bright and love
ly one and light shower of meteors
might have passed unnoticed by the
late corners and goers.
The forecasted shower is supposed to
occur every 80 years. One Of them
occurred in 1885, another in 1865, and
there are a few old Montana pioneers
who swear that they saw this last
one and were caught out In it while
looking for wash gravel in Alder
gulch. Others admit that they either
did not see it or did not pay any at
tention to it. However the shower
was on in that year. The fact that
the moon is full makes a good and
brilliant effect impossible, whereas if
the moon were sober the people might
get better look at the fiery shower.
If the billed show fails to put in it's
appearance tonight the good people of
Butte will go to bed early tomorrow
night and try to forget that they had
lost lot of good sleep watching for
the shower of meteors.