The age-herald., 1900-03-07
IN HOTEL HOBBIES
 AND ELSEWHERE

period is too familarly known and too full ly acknowledged to require comment in any instance Goethes experience concerning the fallen bridge is known to everyone, and nobody seriously questions Carlyle's dictum that history is a compilation of idle ru- mors." The most curious local survival of an untruth has to do with the recent disas- trous hotel fire in Twentieth street and First avenue When the fire was at its worst and threatened terrible disaster, the chief of the Birmingham fire depart ment telegraphed to the chief of the Mont gomery department asking for assistance: but before the Montgomery chief could get ready to leave that city with his engines and men on a special train, the fire in Bir- mingham had been gotten under control, and so the Birmingham chief wired to Montgomery withdrawing the call for as- sistance. No engine and not a single fire man left Montgomery for Birmingham Yet while the fire here was still burning, judge, had occasion to visit the Union passenger station, where his attention was called by some one to a locomotive and two or three cars, and he was gravey assured that what he saw was the special just arrived from Montgomery with engines and firemen to assist in putting out the big fire. The judge was further assured that the "special' had made the run from Mont gon1ery to this city, 97 miles, in 93 minutes. And whilst the fire was raging there were numerous stories current amongst the thousands of onlookers regarding the mar vellous run of the "special' from the state capital, the time given varying from s4 to mir nntah1A nftfen of An- nston who saw the fire went home and talked to a reporter for the Hot Blast newspaper, and there were strong words printed the next morning as to the great superiority of the Anniston fire department as compared to the feeble fire-ighters or great Birmingham, the said notable citi- zen assuring the reporter dn effect that had 1t not been for the prompt assistance of Montgomery Birmingham would have suffered a terrible calamity. Furthermore, a man who claimed to have been the en- gneer of the mythical special" solemrily assured a well known citizen that "I run that special from Montgomery to Bir- mingham in S6 minutes, but wouldn't do it again for a million dollars!" Oh, the -blackguard! Various newspapers comment kindly on Montgomery's timely assistance to Birmingham, and perhaps nine out of ten inha bbtants believe the assistance was rendered. This ds likewise true of the peo- pie of Montgomery Down there they en- tertain no doubt that the phantom flyer" made the famous run. The truth is, Mont gomery was eager to help us in our great danger, as she always will be in troublous times; but we didn't give her the opportun- ity The ties that bind the two cities to- gether are unbreakable.
 There was an amusing incident connected with the remarkable rush yesterday morn- ing for tickets at the new Jefferson thea ter tomorrow night. One of the leading young men of Birmingham, who had de- termined several days ago to give a thea ter party in honor of the appearance of one of the most accomplished actors on this or any other continent, hired a 4boy to get in line for the box office and pur- chase the required tickets. He gave the boy $25, the price of the tickets, and told him he'd pay him dollar for his trouble, that being all the boy demanded. The man after the tickets, objecting to getting him self in the crush, stood apart and waited for the boy to perform the duty assigned him. The boy got the tickets all right, but as he turned from the window he was 'braeed'' by stranger who offered him something like five dollars extra, which he readily accepted. He then went to the man who had employed him and returned the twenty-five dollars, saying he had made d much better bargain and, pocketing his ill-gotten gains, he walked away whstling The man betrayed was madly indignant hut bf,. a nd fria ,tr;II field tomorrow night. He said, in speaking of the incident afterwards, that if the boy had come to him and told him of the strangers increased offer he would have gladly made the matter square The boy what of lhis future?
 
 1t seems a thousand pities that ricketv old shanties said to be dens of vice should hem in and crowd to the very walls of the beautiful new theater! It is said that there is no worse quarter of negro iniquity in Birmingham than that section of Second avenue between the theater and the corner of Eighteenth street opposite the United States government building. This is with. In block of one of the leading hotels and within half block of The Age-Herald building. Immediately across the street | hatioHS SpIeHQlQ pdlaoe Is abode of infamy the nature of which is too Vile for public print. Assuredly the city council or the police or the fire department has power to declare such places to be nuisances and such buildings dangerous and to cause their destruction.
 
 Robert F. Ggon of Montgomery, clerk of the Alabama supreme court, is in Birming ham on private business. Asked as to inc work of the court MT. Ligon said that tha docket was nearer to being cleared than if had been at any other time in many years and that at the rate of progress that had been maintained during the past year. the court would soon show a perfectly clear docket. There were a few old cases still pending, but they were in fair way to being finally disposed of The court will reassemble on April 2, when the first. or Mobile, division will be taken up. As to the famous Gafford murder case bill of exceptions was recently established. and