davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-04-19

and oils and Kansas bought soda
fountain fearfully and wonderfully made.
Ed Howe Eugene Ware, Henry King,
Noble PrentiS, John j. Ingalls,, u w:
Wilder and James Steel added a small
but carefully selected stock of books
and magazines. About that time the
Santa Fe route began to write adVer-
tisements for the store and the states
account at the bank of public esteem
was drawing the interest of good will at
three times the legal rate.
Those were thriving days for Kansas.
The clerks organized commercial clubs.
like this one, all over the store, and
hired gentlemen by the name of legion
to carry big signs, which read:
Follow me to Kansas and wear dia-
monds.'
The store. which was located near the
western end of the street of civilization,
was a money-maker and 1t ghttereo
with new Varnish and nickel plate, and
its trade made the big sunffoWer 1000
for honest values and straight goods
Every day was Fourth OF July, WITH
fireworks in the evening.
That was in the eighties-in 1890
little piece of white paper appeared on
the door of the Kansas store which
read:
Gone to the political meeting in the
grove-back next week
In due time the crowd gathered about
the store and after the crowd came the
sheriff. He took possession of some OF
the railroads, foreclosed the crisp, hand-
some mortgages, ana olScharseu iol
of the clerks Still Kansas staid away,
at first attending political meetings ana
afterwards attending court. One, two.
three years elapsed and the Kansas
store was running at a loss. Kansas got
mad. She started out to reform things
She decided that the procession of the
equinox was out of gear. She tinkered
with the law of supply and demand.
She took the wheel out of the system OF
distribution and tried to make the old
thing work without a handspring. All
this time she was going from bad to
worse. The stock ran down. Customers
deserted and the advertisements drop
ped out of the papers. The men who
had been carrying banners for Kansas
rubbed out the old motto and instead
proclaimed:
I'VE are on the verge of moral, men
tai and financial ruin. To die is gain. -
When the world saw these things, the
world sent drafts on Kansas to the bank
for collection. The devil was to pay and
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-04-19

office is on the floor below and has posi-
tive evidence that the thermometer In his
ty man is away below zero, and that the
a AGO contrib1tion to til the washington Mount
Vernon Monument association"
gentleman from Elk is waltzing around
on Shawnee countys toes, and the granger
the Kaw complains because the senator
has increased the weight of his bale Of
his bill by making a wheelbarrow load of
millet 315 pounds The chairman Of the
the senator from Shawnee ought to pre-
vent the senator from Usage from stamp
missioner of elections bill, when he knows.
f Sa ven fhe as foresad senators DO not drink
from the same canteen." Someone wants
he he I has rsised everything but the interest
A member from the short grass country
tons, and Misses in your ear:
let the fight come off,
IT'S said:
''They that serve princes-tlis their lot:
Today tits done, tomorrow tbs forgot
But then the delegation from Shawnee
will never forget the services rendered by
the Commercial club; There is nothing so
ganization. and when that organization is
backed by the f 1ntegsnt b ana sniyd1sS
and collectively, satisfactory results are
Commercial club was a tower of strength
to the delegation, and the active work
done by the legislative committee and
members generally made it comparatively
ranged by the club had tendency to
smooth down many of the rough places
II is an old saying that you can catch
more flies with molasses than you
with vinegar and this saying was never
better illustrated than during the past
winter. If the Commercial club never ac-
comphshed anything else than TO secure
favorable legislation, this alone would be
worth many times the cost to the com
munity.
ing up q city in Kansas. The pretudices
of the people of our own state must be
overcome and this can only be accOmp-
ished by united and intelligent action.
Every interested in the growth, de-
velopment and beautifying of the capital
city ought to become member of this
club. With 400 members we could simply
hold up apron and the plums would
drop into it. We have made start for
l. Continued on Third Page.)
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-04-19
William Allen White and Governor Stanley
Score Decided Hits.

introducing Colonel w. H. Rossington
as POSTMASTER, took occasion to review
the work of the club during the past
year. He said
During the time that has interviewed
since our last banquet, the Commercial
club has not been idle.
A great many times during the past
winter 1 was interrogated as to what
the club was doing; and I am willing
to acknowledge that If one permitted
himself to be influenced by appear
ances, that the questions were justi-
fable. A man of a preceding genera
ton, not unknown to local fame was
once heard to observe: Don't talk
first; do it, talk afterwards" a precept
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-04-19

Fscelient reason today to shake hands
lHvith itself on account of the success
(which attended its fourth annual ban
'uuet at the Hotel Throop last night.
THE business men of the best city of the
west came together and with one ac-
cord toasted the dawn of a new era in
4he development of the capital city of
Kansas-the beginning of a Greater
Topeka
Covers were laid for 125 guests. The
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-04-19

banquet hall and tables were decorated
with ferns, potted plants, roses, carna-
tions and other cut flowers, while on
the walls were draped flags and bunt-
ing.
1t was $40 o'clock when the feast be-
gan, after an hour spent in the hotel
parlors and lobby in laughter and jolH-
ty. At a small table at the head Of the
banquet hall sat Colonel Rossington,
the POSTMASTER, with President Brig
ham, Governor Stanley and William
ALLEN White of Emporia- On their left
was a long table with ex-Mayor Fellows
at its head. while to their right extended
a similar table at whose head sat Sen
ator T. J. Anderson, and by his side sat
ex-Lieutenant Governor James A
Troutman. A third table extended down
the center of the hall directly in front
of the POSTMASTER.
In an alcove in the lower part of the
banquet hall was Steinberg's orchestra,
and for an hour and a half the hum of
conversation, the rattle of china and
silver. and peals of laughter mingled
with the strains of the orchestra. Oys-
tiers on the half shell went down to an
accompaniment of 1.-The Stars and
Stripes Forever" quail on toast was
mingled with the Star Spangled Ban
ner;" Roman punch and Yankee
Doodle" were introduced at the same
time; spring chicken and Georgia
Camp Meeting were appropriately
commingled, while "a Hot Time help
ed along with the ices and Strawberries.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-04-19
FELLOWS WISDOM.
Believes Partisanship Hampers the
Development of a City.

Ex-Mayor c. A. Fellows created some
comment by the advanced stand taken
for good government by the elimination
of partisanship. He considers radical
partisanship in city affairs inimica1 to
the development of the city.
He said:
In arising to respond to the toast
Topeka, L am aware not only or the
honor conferred. but also of the re-
sponsibility developing upon me on this
occasion. To speak for forty thousand
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-04-19

This sign astonished the world and
people from every corner of the globe
came running to. Kansas to get in on
the ground floor. Kansas did a land Of
flee business. Trade in flour, feed and
provisions, corn, poultry, butter, eggs,
hides and tallow grew to magnificent
proportions; so did the business in thin
air and blue sky which kept abstract
makers busy 80 hours a day recording
it.
In the early eighties, when st. John
was the general manager of the store,
a brisk trade began in drugs, paints
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-04-19

from thousands long unused chimneys.
Labor is in demand. The tramp once
more is robbed of an excuse and the
city which offers the best attractions in
security, public spirit, good will and
good morals is bound to prosper.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-04-19

ness men must stand in the vanguard,
and If they receive anything they must
receive it through them.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-04-19
WILL WHITES TOAST.
Scored Hit in a Humorous Recital
of the Trials of Kansas

William Allen Whites address on the
subject: Doing Business at the Old
Stand,' was a combination of wit and
humor, which should take a place by
the side of his famous Whats the
Matter with Kansas" He was fire.
quently interrupted by applause which
indicated the degree of appreciation
with which his address was re-
ceived. He said:
The Missouri river has been called an
avenue of the nation. On the left hand
side of this avenue, coming up from the
gulf, a general merchandising establish
ment was opened some 40 years ago by
the community of Kansas. 1t started in
small way, dealing in the beginning.
chiefly in guns and sporting goods, and
1t sold a variety of the pruneS of eter-
nal hopes that swelled up greatly on ex-
posture to the least moisture. In the
hftieS and sixties. the store added
complete stock of heroes, and although
they were homemade, they soon be-
came popular all over the world, spread
ing the name and fame of Kansas"from
Greenland's icy mountains to midas
coral strands
The success of the heroes with the
worlds trade induced Kansas to put in
a branch department of climate and
thereafter appeared something new I'M
der the Sun-the Kansas cyclone. This
inspired the Kansas hot wind, and that
was such hot stuff that in few years
the store turned out the Kansas drouth,
the Kansas sunshine, the Kansas ozone,
the Kansas blizzard.
Then Kansas got proud. Crossing the
opposite of the hot wind with the son of
a coyote and a jackSnipe, she produced
the Kansas grasshOpper-a bird which,
although unique and original, was new
er either popular or beautiful. But he
had the Kansas breath in his body and
so was great advertiser. And yet
Kansas never made much out of the
deal and finally let the stock run down.
One morning there flashed out on the
Kansas store a big sign which read:
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-04-19

REAL ESTATE AND LOANS:
Equities bought and sold.
Make your fortunes while you wait
See our new lines of railroad
If you see what you don't want
Buy it.
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-04-19
THE CLUBS WORK.
President Brigham Tells What Has
Been Accomplished.

After the good things had been dis
posed Of President Brigham rose and in
The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-04-19

CONTINUED on Third Page.)
Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1899-11-17
ADDERS FOND OF EGGS.
Reptiles With Remarkable
Swallowing Ability.

Little Reptiles With Remarkable
Swallowing Ability.
Among a lot of very interesting speci-
mems Of prepared animals sent to the.
Museum of Natural History at Paris by
Father Guilleme, a missionary in the
upper Kongo country, there is one group
of native adders, in the act Of swallow
ing eggs which excited in
terest The most remarkable part Of it
is the relative size of this snake and it's
common food. This adder is rather
small; 1t is seldom longer than 20 inch
es. and its thickness never exceeds an
inch. Yet it feeds regularly on duck
eggs. the smaller diameter of which is:
almost two inches.
How the snake can get such an egg
into it's mouth is difficult to understand,
and the aspect of these reptiles while
swallowing the eggs is most strange.
The only way to account for this pc
s1liar manner Of swallowing whole
eggs is the presence in the neck, just
back of the head, of a series Of pointed
bones slanted backward and piercing
the eeophagus. These not only assist
to hold the egg in place, but act like a
saw When the egg has advanced far
enough, their pressure will cut the egg:
its contents will continue into the stom-
ach, while the empty shell is crushed
afterward and thrown out through the.
mouth.
While in the act of swallowing the
egg the snake is easily caught. for it is.
then almost in a state of complete in
ertia; it then looks very much like the
bulb as used by photographers for open
ing their shutters.
Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1899-11-17
How They Made Mummies.

A body might be mummifed in three
different ways, and the price varied &C.
cordingly. In the first and most expen-
sive method the brain was extracted
through the nose by means of an iron
probe, and the intestines were removed
entirely from the body through an in
cision made in the side with a sharp
Ethiopian stone. The intestines were
cleansed and washed in palm wine, and,
after being covered with powdered aro-
matte gums, were placed in Canopic
jars. The body was then filled up with
myrrh and cassia and other fragrant
and astringent substances and vas laid
in natron for 70 days. It was then care
fully washed anu wrapped up in strips
Of fine linen smeared with gum. The
cost Of mummifying a body in this fash
ion was a talent Of silver, or about e24O.
In the second method the brain was
not removed at all, and the intestines
were simply dissolved and removed in a
fluid state. The body was also laid in
salt or natron,- which, it is said, dis
solved everything except the skin and
bones. The cost Of 'mummifSing in this
was % mime, or nearly 800.
The third method was employed for
the poor only. It consisted simply Of
cleansing the body by i1lecting some
strong astringent and then sailing it for
70 days. The cost was very small
"Budge's. Guide to First and Second
Egyptian Rooms"
Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1899-11-17
The Lost Rose.

There is a ticket chopper at the Park
place station of the elevated railroad
who could not take a prize in a beauty
show in any climate and whose mark
ed aggressiveness of mien fails to soften
the effect of natures handiwork upon
his visage. A lady crossing the platform
in a hurry dropped one of two large red
roses that graced her corsage. 1t was
promptly pounced upon by the chop
per. who. seeing that it's owner had
no intention Of returning to reclaim it,
fell to fondling his prize with so evil
dent an air of delight that a group of
three O. four brakemen, fellow employ
ees. who stood near by waiting for an
up town train, found vast amusement
in "guying" him.
At the instant they did so a tired
looking woman, dragging a shabbily
clad little gift by the hand, approached
the box. The child, whose great eyes
We're sunk deeply in her pale little fore
head, broke loose from her mothers
hand, stopped stock still and began star
ing hungrily at the rose. In an instant
1t was in her possession and the great
eyes had gone out of mourning. In two
seconds the unlovely chopper was glow
ering at other arriving passengers more
belligerently than ever, and his friends,
the brakemen, had forgotten to jeer.-
New York Commercial Advertiser.
Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1899-11-17
"Chimney Climate.n

CHIMNEY climate is the latest for
the climate that is to be found in ALI
large cities. Its characteristics, says a
man of learning, are mildness. absence
of rain and frequency of fog as COM
pared with surrounding rural districts.
And he gives a very clever explanation
Of the presence of the fog. 1t is actually
manufactured right under our eyes.
You know if you look crosswise at a.
sunbeam you see in it a. myriad of very
small particles Of dust. SO densely crowd
ed together that some scientists even,
attribute to them the color of the sky.
And there is also about US an invisible
vapor and this combines with the parti-
cles to give us fog. 1t may be so. It
sounds eason BILE enough when one,
takes into consideration the fact that
fogs are more frequent in large manu-
featuring cities than elsewhere. But if
it be SO. what are men of science about
that they don't find an antidote for
the evil7-Boston Transcript.
Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1899-11-17
the world so fast that the sun

around the world so fast that the sun
would always be directly above his head,
and if he were to start travelling at mid
day on Tuesday, then in "a hours he
would return to his original point of
departure and would find that the day
was nov called Wednesday-at what
point of his journey would the day
change its name? The difficulty Of an
swering this apparently simple question
has cast a gloom over many a pleasant
party.
Another problem was as follows: A
rope is hung over a wheel fixed to the
roof Of a building; at one end of the
rope a weight is fixed, which exactly
counterbalances a monkey which is
hanging on the other end. Suppose that
the monkey begins to climb tho rope,
what will be the result7 It is very curl
GUS the different views taken by good
mathematicians. One says the weight
goes up with increasing velocity others
say that it goes up at the same rate as
the monkey. while another says it goes
down.
Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1899-11-17
OPENING LETTERS.
SOME SECRETS OF THE ENGLISH GEN.
ERAL POSTOFelCE.

Methods by Which the Oficia1s Be-
come Acquainted With the Con-
tents of Suspected Communications.
Private Tests Which Fail.
1t is a somewhat remarkable fact
that the general public of England
knows very little concerning the secret
service of the general postoffice, al
though the service is probably the most
complete of it's kind in the whole world.
To the outsider the secret service is
known as the postal secret inquiry
branch, and not one in a hundred Of
those in the employ of the postofice
knows the exact workings of the secret
service, as the department has the dis
tinction of being in the charge of GER
tain permanent officials, under the d.
rection Of the home secretary and the
prime minister for the time being.
Once, and once only, in recent tvars
has a minister Of the government allow
ed himself to be drawn into making a
statement which admitted that the Sc
crets Of the p~estoffice were used for po-
litical purposes.
Such an admission was made in the
days of the first dynamite scare, when
an. Irish member made a general charge
against the government of tampering
with the correspondence of certain Irish.
men. Lord John Manners, in reply,
evaded the question in an ambiguous
manner, but indiscreetly called atten-
ton to a clause in the postofice act
which empowers the postal authorities
to open and even confscate any letter
or package which they might reasona-
bly, suspect covered some infringement
Of the rules of the department.
The secret service is divided into two
distinct branches, the higher and the
lower, and The duties of the latter are
brought to he notice of the public very
frequently, as it has to do with the pros
ecution Of dishonest men in the en-
ploy Of the ~lostofice. The great bulk of
the robberies committed inside the
walls of the postofice is attempted by
the younger hands and it is for that
reason that every newcomer is occasion
ally subjected to keen watching from a
quarter that he least suspects.
Quite unknown to him, he is kept I'M
der the observation Of a keen eyed
watcher. who is securely hidden from
view in a secret alcove, almost within
touch of the sorter, messenger or what
ever the employee may be. Every move.
ment is noted and analysed, and il
would lake a VERY aynert man to trv or
any underhanded game and escape de.
lection.
On the continent the correspondence
of private individuals is liable to the
scrutiny Of the police or other govern.
ment agents, and no secret is made Of
the fact; but. on the other hand, ou1
officials write INDIGNANT letters of de-
Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1899-11-17

NAL and reputation, while all the time
they are perfecting the fine art Of open
ing letters without leaving any traces
of the operation.
Like most clever arts, that of opening
a letter without causing suspicion is
simplicity itself. A glance at the quail
ity of the stationery decides the opera
tor on the means to be adopted. Some
kinds of paper will bear the steaming
process without leaving any traces, and
in that event the operation is very
simple. The contents having been ex-
amined, and, if necessary, copied, they
are restored to their envelope, which is
regummed, the flap FURNISHED with a
bone instrument.
Contrary t o general belief, the sealed
envelope presents no difficulty to the ex-
pert. A piece of new bread, kneaded in
to a firm ball, is pressed IN the seal and
the facsimile is obtained. Various other
methods have been attempted in taking
the design of seals, but the one we have
quoted has been declared to be far away
the best for the purpose, the bread be-
ing clean and less liable to leave any
trace of tampering behind. This dough
matrix is hardened as loon as the seal
has been modelled, and when the con-
tents of the letter have been obtained
the envelope is closed and resealed with
the dough mold.
When it is deemed unsafe to moisten
an envelope, it is cut open. The opera
ton is a delicate one and to any but
an expert very difficult to perform prop
erly. One end of the envelope is held
firmly between two fat pieces Of wood,
the edge Of the paper projecting about
the twentieth part of an inch. The ex-
pert passes the back Of his knife rapidly
wei the end. roughening and f~attening
it. while an equally quick pass with the
razorlike edge cuts the envelope open.
When the contents are replaced, the
edges of the envelope are stuck together
with a hairline of powerful gum, sub.
mitted to pressure for a few minutes,
and no ons not in the secret would
guess what had been done.
So long as the flap and seal appea,
intact the receiver is invariably salts
fed. Now and then suspicious CORE.
spondents place sand, powder, hairs o,
other minute objects inside the envelope
by way Of test, but this does not trou'
BILE the expert a little bit. He is on the
lookout for that kind of dodge, so i:
careful to open the envelope owe E
large sheet of pure white paper. Wher
these ''tests' fall out, they are careful
ly collected and restored.
The officials in the detective depart
ment can tell some funny stories O.
their own astuteness. When the charg,
of tamperiLg was made by the Irist
members, one of the Moderate party de
Tended the government and declared
that he had satisfied himself by a serie
Of infallible tests that his correspond
ence was inviolate. He was biissfully
ignorant of the fact, however, that h.
never received a letter that was no
previously overhauled by the authori
ties. London Letter