davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-08-12
Pathos of a Ruined Home.

In the furnishings of his dining-room the
playwright showed an eccentric taste. There
are two sideboards, one large. a cheap imi-
oak. a sideboard that might be bought for
Sis. Beside the little oak sideboard is, a
crystal cabinet, with plate-glass shelves.
twisted crystal standards. brass supports
and panels Of paintings on silk at the back
that must nave cost $500. In a corner IS a
cabinet full of priceless china. Beside the
mantel is another filed with fragile cups,
saucers and plates. ~.
Both sideboards are filled with rare glass,
cut glass of all kinds and dozens of cock
tail, champagne and liquor glasses of the
rarest sort from Venice and Bohe mia. A
small fortune is represented in these fur
nishings for the feast in the playwright's
dining-room.
In the ~sitting-room there are more SOU
venirs of Hoyt plays on the mantel, and on
the walls theatrical pictures; but nowhere
q. work of art. On the floor IS a valuable
Indian rug. The furniture is odd pieces. one
Of them being an old mahogany Gesk, at
which Mr.. Hoyt wrote some of his plays.
1t is in the parlor that the l.athos of this
broken home comes to one with full force.
The room has not been opened since the
death of the beautiful Caroline Miskel
Hoyt. The furniture is covered up in the
middle of the long room. The rugs are
piled in a corner. On the walls are numer-
Gus pictures Of Mrs. Hoyt, in various
poses, as there are all over the house.
On 2 pile Of rugs rests q great oval pic
The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-08-12
WHAT FLOSSIE KNEW.

F1ossie was a big. good-natured. smooth.
haired st. Bernard-not a registered animal.
nor known to fame, but of pretty nearly
pure breed, and worth her weight In gold.
If you could take her owners word for it.
He would fill a big bucket with water at
the pump and say to her, Take this to
Ned" or, Take this to Tom" naming one
of the two horses in the stable, a hundred
feet away. She would grab the handle De-
tween her teeth and trot away. Flossie
watered the horses regularly, and never
had been confded to her for the other. She
was greatly excited one day at seeing Tom,
in a frisky mood. roll over on the lawn.
She initiated the trick at once, and always
after that when her owner would say.
Now. Flossie. do as Tom does she would
roll over without the slightest hesitation.
One night FloSsie was left with a friend
In the village, and was locked in a stable
which had one good sized window overlook
Ing a chicken yard. owned by a widow who
lived next door. A little after midnight, a
couple of colored men took a notion to rob
this chicken yard. They had go. down to
work when all of a sudden there was a
terrific crash and a big body lighted square,
ly on the back of one of the thieves. FloS-
Sic had jumped through the window, car
rying with her both the glass and the sash.
How badly the thieves We're hurt was never
learned. for they got away, but there were
marks OF blood on the torn coat that one
OF them left behind. They got no chickens
that night. The dogs master was SO
tickled that he paid the bill for replacing
the window without saying a word.
flosse was killed by a railroad train.
Inc memory Of her will live till the family
ina loved her Is entirely broken up
The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-08-12
11IJR. DOCKERY AS AN ENGINEER.
How Missouri's Next Governor Ran an Engine
at a Mile a. Minute Rate.

WRITTEN FOR H SUNDAY REPUBLIC.
Missouri's next Governor. in addition to
his enviable political record. has a record
of brief duration as an engineer of a rail-
road train III 1892.
Not long since, in the office of a hotel at
Moberly. NO.. Joe P. Rice. the veteran en-
gineer and politician Of some note, told the
story of Mr.. Dockery's transient career as
an engineer. but which. from the familiarity
he manifested with the engine and his utter
fearlessness during the mile-a-minute gait
that he made, Will win him more admira
ton from railroad folk than his itinerant
opponent in the g~ubernatorial race will Sc
cure from his tour of the State on a rail-
way qu~adricycle.
1T was In the campaign OF 1892, IL I am
not Mistaken said Mr.. Rice, that Mr..
Dockery made a record as engineer that is
even hard for an old-tlmer in the business
to beat. I was running on a train out of
Salisbury one day. and when we reached
Darlington, Gentry County, 1 observed a
good-sized crowd on the platform, among
them being Mr.. Dockery and John Tars-
ney, Congressman from the Fifth Missouri
District. AS soon as I stopped the train. ]
stepped down from the engine and shook
hands with them. and Upon their telling me
that they were going down the road, in
vited them to ride in the cab with me.
which was accepted.
"On the way down to Ovona, Mr.. Dock.
cry expressed much interest in railroad
work. and paid a high tribute to railroad
men. He said hat he had given consider.
able study to the railroad industry.
about the time we got to Ovona. /
asked Mr.. Dockery-perhaps not seriously
at the time-if he did not want to act as
engineer from there to McFall, which was
twelve miles distant. He replied that he
would, and without hesitation took the
lever like a veteran, threw the throttle
back against the chain. and away we went
at a good speed. The day was an ideal one
and the track could not have been bettsr
Every time the wheel went around we
seemed to be gaining speed. As the bows
say, We just hit the high places I knew
that we were running at an unusual and
terrific speed. but I determined that nc
'tenderfoot' like Mr.. Dockery could cause
me to lessen the rate. So I Just watched
her CO.,
II turned round to see how Congress.
man Tarsney was enjoying the trip, ans
what ! saw almost paralyzed me. He wa.
The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-08-12
WHEN THE HOYT IDEA
WAS IN THE SADDLE.

Ten or twelve years ago Charles H. Hoyt
was a very busy man. He had written Sue
cessful farces Of a new kind and was
engaged on others. His name was on the
Theatrical lip. Company after company
toured the country under his ownership.
Fortune smiled. One day in Kansas City
Mr.. Hoyt walked north on Main street in
company with another young man.
There goes Hoyt," the loungers ex-
claimed. ''and that's Tim Murphy with
him."
And everybody looked. Murphy was tan,
young, dark and handsome. He had achieved
great success as Maverick Brander in
"a Texas steer.' He and Hoyt were much
dressed on this o-ccasion-and there was
talk to the effect that they were making
$50 q minute This sort Of success went on.
Hoyt's plays were all well received. Such
extravaganza Of setting and Of costuming
and such %snappiness OF dialogue and bold
humor in situations were never before
known. The Hoyt idea was in the saddle.
"A Trip to Chinatown" with Anna Boyd,
Harry Gilfoil. Harry Conor. George Beane
and the others made a great fortune. Hoyt
married Flora Walsh, the pretty Bossy in
"a Texas Steer" Still everything was
bright It was not until his marriage to
Caroline Miskel. the beauty of "a Tenn
perance Town." that he began to lag. He
wrote "a Contented Woman for her, but
the public didn't care for 1t. The other
plays-some new ones, oo-we coming
money. But there was a hint Of trouble
here and there-nothing definite. 1t was not
until the beautiful Mrs. Hoyt died that
there came the rumor that the famous
Farce writer's health was bad.
The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-08-12

When success came to Hoyt after years
of struggle his mind turned to Char,estow1.
the home of his youth, and to this beautiful
village street with its side carpets of green
and its wonderful great elms. He wanted
a home there where he could spend his sum
mers and perhaps his declining years after
he retired in peace and quiet.
In the center of the village there was
such d place as he wanted and it was for
sale. The grounds were extensive. and the
house, though old, was of fair size. He
bought it, closing the deal with charac-
teristic quickness by telegraph.
On this place Mr.. Hoyt spent many thou
sands of dollars. He laid out the grounds.
about an acre in extent. In splendid lawns.
with winding walks. Rare shrubs and trees
were planted. An artificial lily pool was
hrilt, and lilies were put in the water 10
grow. A greenhouse was erected. small. but
capable of producing enough plants ard
flowers to stock the grounds. A rose garden
was set out back Of the greenhouse. whore
the beautiful Caroline Miskell Hoyt loved
to walk and pick the deep rich flowers. far
sweeter to her than any dollhouse exotics
that came to her over the footlights.
In the house Mr.. Hoyt caused a transfor-
nation. Every room was remodeled and
others were added. Floors of the finest hard
the south side of the house a salon was
built, somewhat in the French style. with
polished floor, and windows extending to
the ground. and opening like doors.
The sleepinS-rooms were elegantly fur
The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-08-12
Grandeur Falling to Decay.

In the grounds Mr.. Hoyt built u casino.
remcdeling an old stable for the purpose.
On the grouud floor was u hall for rehGars-
ing his plays, and in 1t many Of the most
successful ones were whipped into shape.
Off this room was a small office that the
playwright called his den" In 1t is Il brick
fireplace, IN old-fashioned desk, at which
he did much of his writing, a table,, a sofa
and a couple of chairs, one of them ali odd
affair made from a barrel. From TIE CELL
ing is suspended an odd Japanese lantern.
On the walls are pictures of Mr.. lioyt. of
Mr.. Thomas, his first partner in the :heat-
rical business, and of some Of the original
Hoyt companies. On the mantel are a num-
Der of bronze souvenirs of Ioyt playa
brass monkey, a Texas steer and other fig
ureS.
AT the rear of the ground floor room is n
door leading to a passage, from which opens
an ice box capable Of holding meats and
game. vegetables and wines for the feasts
that Mr.. Hoyt was fond of spr. adirg for his
guests.
When he entertained on a large scale 1t
was in this casino. for there is a kitchen
in 1t. which was equipped with a large
The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-08-12
The Home at Charleston.

There is something pathetic in the house
at Charlestown where Mr.. Hoyt has made
his summer home for a few years past,
from which he was taken to Hartford, and
to which he has returned. 1t Is a spacious
mansion, but it has the deserted air of a
wrecked ship on a reef. The principal rooms
are peopled only with memories-and such
memories they are!
Mr.. Hoyt's life in Charlestown has been
more striking in its outlines than any act
of his plays. He left there a poor boy, he
came back comparatively a C~roesus, and
with the money he had earned with his
magic pen he built his ideal home. 10 this
home he brought a wife as beautiful as q
goddess, the handsomest woman of her
time. He lived here with her in blissful
happiness. She bore him a child, and both
mother and child died.
From that day the cloud that had already
been casting a shadow on the man settled
over him. He laid his wife and babe in a
granite tomb within sound Of the tall whis-
pe-ing pines In Charlestown Cemetery by
the side of his first wife. Then he closed
the house at CharleStown. went to New
York and was lost in forgetfulness bought
at fearful cost. the cost of mental balance.
No work was too hard for him to do, no
strain too great. no pleasure too intense.
From this dearly bought period of forget
fitness came the Hoyt of to-day.
No more beautiful spot could be found for
a country home than that where stands
the house which witnessed the happlest
days in the life of Charles Hoyt.
In the village street at Charlestown,a long
and wide t~horoughfare, as broad as the
broadcast city boulevard, lined with rows of
majestic elms and carpeted on either side
OF the roadway with green sward, neatly
clipped, one finds the ideal New England
village scene,
The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-08-12

range and all facilities for preparing u din
ner.
Over the casino is a dance Eall. with a
platform for an orchestra. and h re many
n beautiful foot,'ght favorite has swayed
in the dreamland of the waltz to the mu-
sic of some expensive orchestra brought
from New York to add to the pleasure CT
the hour.
Now silence broods In the casino At the
Hoyt place. Dust is on the ti-o=s. The fur
ni,ure used in rehelrsirg the rlIys is pushed
to the wall and covered with cloths. ON one
of the tables are seve!al. tennis rackets.
A couple of BICYCLES, covered with dust,
one a full nickel womaE's wheel. stand
AGAINST the wall.
Upstairs in the dance hal! the spiders are
spinning webs. The iceh use is empty and
the den abandoned. The silence Of the
place Is oppressive.
In the house the same conditions prevail.
MIR. John NJ. Mitchell. sIr. Hoyts sec.e-
tary, was in charge while Mr.. Hoyt was at
Hartford. He .camped OUT in the midst of
former luxury. as Mr.. Hoyt himself did
before going to Hartford. sleeping in the
house and taking his meals outside. If Mr..
Hoyt continues to live in the house some
other arrangement may be made.
Even in the days When it was we'll or
dered and was Il home. Mr.. Hoyt's house
must have been a most interesting place
from its very oddness.
In spite of all the wealth he 1ayished or
1.-THE place is estimated to have cost him
$50. COO, with its improvements-there was
a lack of unity in the furnishings of the
house that struck a jarring note.
Side by side with handsome pieces of
bric-a-brac were found everywhere SOU
venirs of the Hoyt plays. A beautiful
French clock was 1anked by a Texas steer
in bronze and monkey in brass. On the
mantels In the dining-room were half a
dozen such inartistic pieces OF metal,
placed there because MIR. Hoyt wanted them
The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-08-12
CHARLEY HOYTS MANSION THE HOME oil SAD MEMORIES. ~
he Melancholy Ending to the Story of$(S.
a Famous PIaywright's Life. $Vo

ture of the famous beauty whom Hoyt
adored. in a gold frame. 1t is his favorite
picture of his wife. Strikingly beautiful IN
any picture. Mrs. Hoyt's face dazzles one In
this. 1t is a head and shoulders study, done
In pastel.
TIL woman's large eyes look straight at
one smilingly and impel one to turn from
the echoing room, with its piled-up furni-
ture. and go away from the place.
In front of this picture old Tom Davis.
Mr.. Hoyt's gardener. has been in the habit
of placing roses every day while the roses
lasted. The old man worshiped Mrs. Hoyt.
He puts the roses In front of her picture
there in the closed room silently and then
tiptoes away.
Up in the cemetery, a few minutes walk
The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-08-12
ibis Faithful Gimepiece.

Dad" Richardson sat with his chair tilted back against TIL front of the barber
shop in the village of Hamilton, Kas, says the Kansas City Star. h barber
yawned stretched his arms, IN asked:
What i'm is it,. Dad?'
Its now exactly 5 o'clock IS minutes and 4 seconds"
Sure about he econds. are you Dad"" The barber said, quizdcary.
"Ye sir I'm sure about the seconds Youc an beta Ill you've go N this watch"
And he held the stem of the watch between the thumb ad forefneer of his hand
4 ind held it out for public observation This watch keeps The correct inn to the
second. 1t hast raveed With me Doe miles a year for the last ten years INT she's
, neverg gone back on me yet-nt as much as a fraction of a second"
Fifty thousand miles a year for ten years? Why, thatsh half a million miles,"
: interrupted he's stranger
, That right. Figure it VI. It n 165mne run from Emporia to Moline ad
Z back, nd for ten years I've made tina run six days each week. that's $3.50 mile a
; week.. ist r? And there's frytwow weeks in a year. Fftytwot time 800 is 5Bo
niles a year., nd Item years is 5ltSN miles. m I rght?"
D Eyes"
: WELT that isn't ALL l carried hat watch with m five years when I ran he.
= tween Detroit ant Chicago"
"Beenh the railroad business qut. a long time, haven't you?" suggested the
= stranger
: Been itf oty years" 49,
4 That SOP"
} Yes, forty years. When I went III the business as a railroad brakeman there
! we're n telegraph tut We hadn't more accidents than now. Ran slower. of
= course, and hat to do more figuring but W re got there jst thu same. We're no
Z sleeping cars then. n seats in night cars had headrestsa at the back like those
X IN paror chaFs', Ihey were added md at night we used to slip them u p for
3 passengers to rest their heads on. The engines then had n o irjetors. N water
2 c"" ohN ne pumped into the boiler while the locomotive was moving and the
z wheelsg going ground. When a n engine ran short of water n a siding the engine
) wateri the boiler"
4 Hun" gruntedt the stranger. .
: Yes. n the engineer and fireman had NJ cabs. Used to- stand put uncovered
? In all sorts of weather. Blu. the bakemen on top Of trains hat a snap in sloppy
< weather y N top. the cars at each end was a arrangement ike a buggy top hat
Z raised ant lowered. and when it ranel or showed thu brakeman used to rase his
4 buggy Top ao SIT IN mere on a spring seat as snug as a pug in a rug"
~
The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-08-12

sitting on the fireman's side. holding on to
the cab like grim death. There he sat, one
arm holding to the side of the cab, the
other pressing his straw hat down upon
his head, his eyes were nearly bulged out
of their sockets; pale as a ghost, with an
expression of fear upon his countenance.
Presently he saw me looking at him and
yelled: For heavens sake, Rice. take that
man away from there. He'll lave us in
the ditch in two minutes
"Dockery never flinched. He either was
devoid of fear or did not realize the speed
we We're going. If the former is true, he's
one of the nerviest men / ever saw. es-
pecially for a novice at ~railroading- He
ran on to McFall, where he and Tarsney
were to speak that night. The last l saw
of Tarsney he was swearing by all that's
good and bad that he would never ride on
an engine again with Dockery."
The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-08-12

from the center of the village, the most
conspicuous monument is the mausoieum In
which rest the remains of Mr.. Hoyt's two
wives and his child. 1t is a severely plain
structure of New Hampshire granite. On
either side of the doorway are craven
branches of palm. resting on wreaths OF
bay. On the bronze doors are reversed
torches. Over the door is the one word,
"Hoyt."
The mausoleum stands a little apart from
the main portion of the burial ground, on a
grassy slope. a conspicuous object from the
street. and remarked on by all who pass.
At present there is but one floral decoration
on it-besides a small and withered wreath
that rests on the sill-a flower. dry and fad
ed. that is stuck in the grill work OF the
door, the tribute of some casual visitor.
The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-08-12

nished. Mrs. Hoyts room contained a set
of the rarest bird's-eye maple. Off 1t was a
lourgirg-room finished in maple. The whole
upper part Of the house was exquisitely fin
is.3ed and furnished. Nothing to add to the
comfort of the owner and his family and
friends was spared.
Arizona republican., 1900-08-25
QUESTIONS ANSWERED.

Yes August Flower still has the largest sale of any medicine in the civ iliz2d world. Your mothers and grand mothers never thought of using any thing else for Indigestion or Bilious ness. Doctors Were scarce and they seldom heard of App=ndiciti.. Nervous Prcstration or Heart failure. etc. They used August Flower to clean out the system and stop fern, ntati5n of undi- gested food, regulate the action of the liver, stimulate the nervous and or ganic action of the system, and that is all they took when feeling dull and had wf,h headaches and other aches You only need a faw doses of Greens August Flower. in liquid form. to make you satisfied there i= nothing serious the matter with you. For sale by deal CTS in all civilized countries
Arizona republican., 1900-08-25
FRIED EGG ON PAVEMENT
Washington Physicians New Version
 of An Arizona Idea.

One of the warmest of a great and as are pumped into the tenderfoots ear, in Arizona, is a much worn piece of fic- tion to the effect that during the sum mer in this territory, stoves are un- necessary accessories to the culinary art, and eggs and meats are best poached and boiled by the simple ope- ration of laying ths raw product in the sun for a moment. To a certain extent the story is not without foundation and experiments have proven that at times an egg, an article most suscepti- ble to heat. can be cooked by breaking it upon stone or ron which has been heated by Old Sols rays. True. the mess is not an appatizing one, but the white may be treated sufficiently to make it palatable to a very hungry man. Arizona, however. does not mo- nOpoliZe the method as a dispatch from Washington proves. According to the latter, Dr. A. J. Schafhirt. prOpri- etor of a drug store a North Capital and II streets, in that city, a few days ago fried an egg on the asphalt pave ment in front of his pharmacy shortly before DOoA. The egg was done to the turning point in seven and one-half minutes after being broken on the con crete by pr. Schafhirt. It was then turned over as a cook flaps a pancake, and was thoroughly cooked in ten min utes.
 little negro who wa. among the witness s of the trick asked for the egg after it had gone the rounds of curious bystanders. and ate it with evident rel ish. A hundred 1T more of the employ ees of the government printing office, which is close by, watched the phar- macist overseeing the egg-frying act
 Dr. Schafhirt had made the assertion that, judging from the heat registered by thermometers standing in the sun, it was hot enough to cook an egg on the pavement Several friends who hap pened to be in the store laughed and 'jollied" the doctor for making such a suggestion, and finally he said he would prove to the doubters that he knaw what he was talking about.
 thermometer outside his store un- der the suns ray at that moment regis tered 120 degrees. Tn doctor figured that the radiation of the heat from the concrete. which fairly sizzed under Old Sors attentions, meant that the degree of heat on the pavement was near 15O degrees. Accordingly he took an egg, and picking cut a place that was with out any protection from the rays of the sun, tapped the shell and let the con- tents fall on the fiery concrete.
 He held a watch while the hot as- phalt underneath the egg and the un- relenting rays of the sun over it's sIr- face gradually completed the frying process. The egg Drowned nicely and did not have time to run over a large surface of the stret, as at first feared by the doctor.