davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-22

Following this come rolls of dingy
blankets, harnesses, seine landaus and a
victoria, with the name of a famous carriage
maker upon it. The victoria is sold for SIS
and the ~astonished buyer hands over a roll
of bills pr~ecipitately as if afraid that he is
the victim Of an auction jest.
The cluck of the auctioneer's tongue con.
tinues and you hear him say:
This horse will go as is
The horse comes into the ring and one Of
the employees stands and ficbs 1t with q
whip every time IL passes, so as to give it
a proper action, apparently. But even with
this aid to the bidding spirit, the bids move
up slowly, So at a Time. When the animal
is finally disposed Of one of the women in
the gallery points to a gray horse whose
ribs are sticking through its skin looking
like stats of a bed in house cleaning week.
IL suppose it is what is called a vision or
a day dream" she said, "but it certainly was
symbolic of this auction.
"We we're going by an old cemetery on a
lonely road in New Jersey, and ali of a sud-
den right out Of the gate came an old mare
like this which, with its headdown ran along
the road directly in front of the auto. II
was so old and feeble that 1t seemed as II
every moment it would fall in its tracks.
Il could easily count the ribs, just as you
can those, and the wonder was that the
machine did not go right over it,. Once or
twice leaned over to touch the chauffeur's
arm, but | saw he was paying attention, and
something held me back.
@Then without a word the auto started
ahead, and in a moment 1t was all over
there was nothing, no horse, no wreck
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-22
A GLIB YOUNG
n MAN HE WAS.
But He Picked OCT the Wrong Old
Lady in the Hemlock Belt to
Self a Barometer To.

son one Of my trips through the hem
look belt" said John Gilbert, the travelling
groceryman, Il picked up a glib young
chap who was passing through that interest
ing rural district afoot, with an assorted
stock Of side lines that he insisted he would
have no difficulty in dickering of to the
unsophisticated jewellers, either for cash
or barter, such entire confidence did he
lave in the persuasiveness Of his tongue
and the sickness of his MANNER.
He assured me Of this in a way that I
wasn't brought up to regard as modest
as l was giving him a lift on his way toward
Geeville, and he was so anxious to show
me an example OF his irresistible style Of
doing business with the hemlook belters
that I stopped at a comfortable looking
little farmhouse near the roadside, where
the b~enevolence and sympathy that beamed
from the gold trimmed specs of the old lady
who stood in the door led the glib and COR
fdent young man to remark to me as he
got out of the wagon that II he didn't have
a mortgage on that place before he got
through he had forgotten his business.
La exclaimed the old lady, as the
confident side line chap approached the
house and saluted her. 'Sellin' things?'
THE glib merchant said he was, and she
told him to sit down, which he did, in the
only chair there was on the little porch,
81 see you are a woman Of business
he began at once, and go there Is no use Of
wasting time. I'll get right at it. Now,
here's barometers'-and he produced one
from his stock, with a sly wink over his
shoulder at me. There amt anything
more useful than bar
'Them's the things that tells you when
the weather's goin' to change, amt they9'
asked the benevolent looking old lady,
innocently.
Yes, ma'am,' replied the side line man.
There amt anything that'll tell the
s'Oh, yes there isl the old lady cut in
on him. I've got a burton. See 1t h'istin'
itself there on the right hand corner o. that
footi
why, say! When that bunion begins to
make weather l kin size up the kind it's
goin' to he three weeks ahead, an kin gen.
er'ly tell when it's goin' to set In, down tc
the littlest part Of a minute!
That bunion took to wcrkin' toler'bL,
early this season, an l sent word up the
| creek fer folks to git fer high ground, fer en-
March q, at jest $50 P. NJ, in the afternoon.
the ice would break and come down album
min and clean things from A to lizard;
but it didn't do it, not III Psi P. NJ.
~ see to wunst that there was some
thin the matter with that bunion, an 90 l
investigated. And what do you think2
Part O. that bunion had got a little frosted,
! somehow, and It sort o. stagnated it 90 It
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-22

stop here for you. Do you remember what
happened to Dorman B, Eaton in this very
street, Look out for yourself
Wallace did remember that. Eaton had
been sandbagged on his own doorstep a
few years before and general report laid
the crime to revenge for his professional
acts in Erie Railway matters, whereby he
had incurred the enmity Of James Fisk. Jr.
All negotiations having thus come to an
end, there was nothing for Wallace but to
do what he could by beginning a criminal
prosecution. The evidence was laid before
District Attorney McKeon, who promptly
~impounded it.
The District Attorney determined to
keep the matter in his own hands and to
proceed without the Intervention OF a
Magistrate; also to leave out the Twenty
ninth precinct police and handle that part
Of it from Headquarters. Accordingly,
Wallace was soon favored with a visit from
Inspector Thomas Byrnes. who leisurely
sauntered into his Office one afternoon and
took a chair.
Inspector Byrnes was, at that time. not
far from being the best known man in
New York, Wallace had seen him many
times and heard and read of him pretty
much every day Of his life, but had never
come into personal contact with him be-
fore. He has this to say in confirmation
Of the general opinion as to Byrnes's per-
eonal power and magnetism, those qualities
in him which have led 30 many criminals
to confess to him their crimes without
promise Of immunity or reward. During a
long interview, covering a wide range OF
topics, he distinctly felt upon himself an
inf strongly urging him to COM
municate to Mr.. Byrnes every particular
bit OF information he had.
The INSPECTOR asked for q few names
and addresses, which he did not write
down, relying apparently upon an extraor-
binary memory, and then talked disour-
sively for an hour or more. He told in
detail the story Of his capture Of the MUIR
derer, McGloin, and Of the Manhattan
Bank burglars, more fully and interestingly
than he subsequently gave them to the
| public in his book, and he discussed police
and detective methods Of all countries.
That there was some object in thus using
valuable time must be true. but just what
the object was Wallace could not fathom.
Perhaps the Inspector was trying to satisfy
himself as to the good faith OF Wallace
and his clients. 1t is pretty certain that
IL there had teen bad faith he would have
discovered it.
As he rose to go Byrnes said:
we'll. shall visit those places to night
and take those gentlemen in"
Don't you think it possible a tip may
get out and you may find the houses closed
and the men gomez
There will be no tip out unless you give
it out yourself said Byrnes. when l
undertake a job it generally gets DONE
1t proved so. That night simultaneous
descents we're made upon the five principa
gambling houses in the Twenty-nintt
precinct and all the proprietors and en-
| ployees spent that night in cells. Much
to Wallaoe's regret old Charley Ransom
had to 20 with the rest.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-22

his grip on them there would be no hope Of
a compromise.
1t was thought e%xpedient TO give out a
rumor that criminal proceedings we're about
to be taken in the hope that such a rumor
might develop something useful. 1t did.
1t developed Mr.. Clemens Gr~over-that is
not his name, but he is a famous gambler
and all round sport, and he is still living.
With monumental nerve he sought an
interview with Wallace and endeavored to
effect a compromise. The amount he
offered was refused.
That didn't discourage him a little bit.
He lived at the Gilsey House and Wallace's
house was on Twenty-ninth street, almost
directly opposite. 1t was, therefore, con-
venient for Grover to hound him.
Wallace could moi leave his house without
meeting some reminder Of the case in hand.
1t might be the Establishments Of Grover;
it might be the scowls Of the police. He
lived in an atmosphere OF suspicion and
intrigue which ultimately got on his nerves
almost to the extent Of making him give UP
his job in panic.
At one time Wallace would be over
whelmed with offers Of courtesy and favor,
at another tried with ~insinuations and
threats. People he did not know would
speak to him in the daytime and follow him
at night. The use OF feminine influence,
respectable and otherwise, was not neg
lected.
Time went on, and although Grover grad
ually increased his offer he had got nowhere
near the figures required. Wallaoe's firm
then thought it best that he should see a GER
tain Police Commissioner TO whom they
we're favorably known, and, if possible,
enlist his influence In eff ecting a reasonable
settlement.
This gentleman received Wallace with
seeming cordially. expressed great indigna-
ton at the facts Of the case and requested
that a statement Of them in writing be
prepared and handed to him in order that
he might be we'll informed before under
taking to give his aid in the matter, which he
freely promised. Such a statement Wallace
furnished. That night he slept we'll in the
consciousness Of having done an effective
days work.
But IL seemed he did not know Grover.
The next morning as he came out OF his
house he saw that gentleman coming out
of the side entrance Of the Gilsey House,
opposite, and making for him with a speed
and in a temper in violent contrast to his
usual imperturbable demeanor.
See here. young man, you don't under
stand who you're dealing with" he cried
I'm teach you to go to a Police Commits
eioner at the same time you're talking settle
ment with mel"
what do you mean about a Police Com
missioner" said Wallace, doing the best
he could in his surprise.
what do l mean by it? Look at this,
and he fourished in Wallace's face the
statement in his W handwriting which
! he had left at the Office Of the Police Com
missioner the afternoon before.
That was check for fair, Wallace wa
dumb. Grover went on:
Now, this is the end Of it between you
! and me about thk case, but it isn't going to
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-22

couldn't work exactly up to it's full tilt
and it had fell shy a minute on tellin' the
time o. the comm o. that ice down the
creek.
"'Sensitive2 That bunio12 La, me!
AND tell the changesf Why, sayl
That bun-but there's lots o. folks round
here that hain't got no bunion in the family,
an 1 git tired o. their runnin' here aeon
'taters, or kill a hog, or pole beans, or 60
totown an. them folks ought to have barom-
eters.
I'm Jest do you a good turn, young
man, seem as you're strugglin' to
benefit tn district I'll hang that b'rom-
eter O. your'n up here, an when they
come here after weather they'll see it, an
how it works, IN they'll pine fer one. So
all you'll have to do, when you come round
this way ag'in, is to fetch along a big stock
of promoters. an you'll ketch a trade
that'n skeer you.
Don't thank me! I'd ruther do 1t than
not. I like to lift people along
And the benevolent and sympathetic
old lady took the barometer and hung it
on a nail against the side OF the house.
Now said she, turning to the amazed
and whiting side line distributor, I bet
you got cough medicine!
That's what l have, said the glib young
man, rousing again to duty. Here you
arei DR., Strainem's Elixir Of Egyptian
Tar! Nothing ever like it for knocking a
cough or cold endways' PHI
Fudge and fddlesticks!' exclaimed the
benevolent old lady. Why don't you cure
that cold O. your'n, then?
We don't never have no coughs nor
no colds round herel Why? Cause O. my
mixtur' o. boneset, allycampane and skunk
cabbage! That's why!
Here you be, young man! See it?'
and she produced a bottle lone up in a red
wrapper.
Here you BEL said she. Fifty cents a
bottle, 1t is, but I kin make it three bottles
fer a dollar to you!
Three, hey? All right! I make it my
self an warrant it. There! They'll At
right in there where you took the promoter
out of. Dollar. Thank you! An don't
fergit when you come agin to-
But the glib young man OF the side lines
grabbed his budget and made tracks down
the road, and as the benevolent old lady
gazed after him l heard her say:
'Shucksl Now, III Jest bet Z that
Teller II jest be keerless enough not to come
round here agin with them b'ronIeters.'
Then she Leaned on the one she had
hung on the nail. and / drove on my wav
musing on the mis-. axes of men, aud the
sweet, childlike simplicity and l.. .~genuous-
ness Of these herfiocR Gclt folk"
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-22
ORIGIN OF FAMILIAR SEA TERMS
Some Are Far Fetched and Nest Of Them
Are Ancient.

Are Ancient.
There is hardly a language which has not
been called upon to provide at least one
OF the curious sea terms which are in con-
slant use and whose origin is so obscure.
For instance. says the Marine Journal
the word admiral" is not Of English origin,
but is from the Arabic Emil ell Bagh, or
Lord Of the Sea. Captain comes from the
Latin caput, but mate is from Icelandic.
and means a companion or equal.
Coxswain is a word whose derivation would
never be guessed. The coxswain was
originally the man who pulled the after
oar in the captains boat, which was known
as the cockboat. This in turn is a corrup-
ton OF the word ~coracle, a small round
boat used on the Wye and Usk rivers. So
coxswain comes to us from the Welsh.
Commodore is not so difficult to trace to
it's beginning. 1t is simply the Italian
commentators, meaning commander. No
such person as Davy Jones ever existed,
though We often hear of him and his locker.
One should speak of Duffy Jonah's locker
for that was the original. Duffy is the
West Indian name for spirit or ghost, while
Jonah refers, of course, to the prophet.
Another curious case Of a term gradually
corrupted out Of its original form is the
dog watch. 1t was originally the =, odge
watch" beoarse it lasted only W hours
instead Of 70 r. and thus n axes it possible
that the same men shall not be on duty
every day during the anne hours.
Then there is the sheet ancnor.- the namo
given to the largest anchor carried by a
vessel. 1t is really 4shote anchor" and is
80 called because of its great weight, which
makes it easy to shoot out in case Of emer
gency.
Instead Of the terms port" and star
board" which are used nowadays, they used
to talk of -larboard" and "starboard." Star
board has nothing in common with stars,
but is really the Anglo-Saxon "steor board
for steer side" because in all galleys which
were steered by an oar the oar was fixed
somewhat to the right hand side OF the stern
and the helmsman held the inboard portion
in his right hand, "Larboard" was proba:
bly, a corruption Of lower board, the larboard
side bein inferior to the other
The Jury mast" has nothing in common
with a jury except its derivation from the
anne word Jour, the French word meaning
day. The jury mast is one which is put
up temporarily-for a day-just as a jury
In its legal term meant a tr bunal summoned
for a short period only.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-22
VHTHEN THE LID WAS
w OFF THE TENDERLOlN
A Negotiation Between a Lawyer
and Gamblers In Haleyon
Days Long Ago.

In halcyon days. years ago, when the old
Tenderloin wal open at It's widest, the
knights Of fortune who glttered therein
found an easy mark In the person OF the
cashier OF a Pin street firm Of anker
and brokers.
One morning this cashier woke up to a
realizing sense that he was short nearly
500, 900 and tbereupon he promptly Sc
Guided himself from mortal eyes, leaving
for his employers a note to the effect that,
II they would promise him immunity from
prosecution. he would reappear and do
what be could to help them recover the
money. Their promise was given. The
absconder bobbed up serenely and told
his story. The brokers put the matter into
the hands Of their lawyers and managed
to borrow sufficient money to enable them
to continue their business for a time, but
II they could not get the lost Money back,
or most Of it. they must fail.
In the Office of the lawyers the detail
of the case was allotted TO Wallace, the
Junior partner, who found himself at once
In conflict with all the leading gamblers in
New York, their swarms of satellites and,
incidentally, with the police, both plain
clothes and uniformed, OF the old Twenty
ninth precinct.
Those old time gamblers are not for
gotten yet. Charley Ransom was their
acknowledged king. He was the Richard
Garfield Of his day, though having higher
ideals than his more practical successor.
He promptly vindicated his title to
royalty among sporting men by drawing
his check for every dollar Of the money
that could be proved to ave been lost in
his house. He remarked as he handed over
his check that in his business he had found
, It was never good luck to have stolen goods
about.
He was the only one who made his peace.
The rest of them, under the leadership Of
genial old Mike Murray, organized for
battle.
The legal proceedings were begun with
civil actions, and the defendants. nearly a
: dozen Of them, we're arrested. After a
bitter fight the Supreme Court held that,
although the cause of action was good, the
facts did not justify sustaining orders Of
arrest and the defendants bad their free
dom, which was all they cared about.
There seemed to be no recours but to
criminal proceedings, it being vital to the
brokers that they should have money at
once. There was, however, an obstacle TO
getting money by criminal process, in the
person Of the District Attorney. That
fine old Roman, John McKeon, was no man
TO allow his Office to be used as a collection
agency. The gamblers would not pay unless
they could 60 free, and once McKeon got
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-22

reached the point at which resignation
to existing conditions has Gomez
Once in a while the monotony Is broken
by the appearance of a saddle horse ard
for a moment interest flames up, but these
appearances only make the general de-
preston Of the place more marked. III
side you pass through an assortment Of
offices and carriage rooms, where hoetlen
are busy cleaning and preparing the horses,
which are ~catalogued with high sound
ing phrases, as, for instance, "A very use
full horse, slightly touched In the wind, ="
Light sorrel, just getting over severe
sickness" or Fearless Of anything, q most
desirable combination for ladies' use."
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-22

You see also a placard announcing that
"All horses are advertised and sold in &C
cordance with descriptions received from
their owners" and that ain no case Is age
or height Of horse guaranteed"
The horse mart is a large light room. with
galleries about three sides and a wide ex-
panse Of tanbark under foot which recalls
for a moment the glories OF Horse Show
week. The horsey smell and the horsey talk
help the suggestion which is o dispelled
when, from the vantage point of the bal
cony. you look down on the crowd.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-22

that matches the horses on sale. and soft
fclts that, do not prevent the owners from
catching a nap now and then with head
against the wall.
There is a noticeable absence Of woman
kind. There il one clip Of q girl, however,
who revives ones ideals and recalls stories
of the friendships that exist between four
footed and two-tooted travellers OF the
country road. E
She is tall for her age, which must be 49,;
blond and with stalwart shoulders and tho
straight back that indicate the horse
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-22

II you want to be convinced that the
automobile has superseded the horse In
fashionable estimation go to the horse
auction, where the faithful servitors Of
man and the one time companions Of his
pleasures are brought together without
regard to age, class or record.
Once a week the operations Of tho horse
mari are proclaimed by a curious assem-
blage Of wagons, victorias, landaus,
,wagonettee, one man speed wagons, har-
messed, to horses Of varying degrees Of
3beed and endurance. From the door
of the auction room they come, preceded
by a waving Of whips, shrieks to the I'm
noting pedestrians. and a dusty, rusty
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-22

crowd at the wheels of the outgoing vehicles.
The crowd follows at a distance which
could not be called respectful by any stretch
Of the imagination and the comments made
on the horses cannot lend any special
pleasure to present owners and would-be
buyers
When, as frequently happens, an auto
honks along, a laugh Of dersion seems to
be pointed at the horse and-is it imagina-
ton, or do the cara droop and does the tail,
nearly always docked In these auction
horses, flap feebly as If the owner had
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-22

about in that manner, It's fair warning 70
stepmothers.'
But hasn't she n fine back?'
splendid. That reminds me. was
sitting on the steamer deck reading wheh
the purser came along-fre young man
with a broad En- glish accent. He sat Gown
and said;
You know I'm getting up the concert
fo- the irdigcnt wives and orphanso Of sailors
and I'm told that there's a young woman
on board who can recite. I'm looking Tor
her. don't know her name. but the fellow
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-22

which asserts that people are hurt at their
own risk and the a%uctioneer reads in d
loud and perfectly audible voice an an
nouncement that something or other Is TO
be sold in liquidation.
A rumble is heard and n large, green
delivery wagon with a scroll on one side
denoting that the owner at one time sold
eggs, butter and cheese comes into view.
Imagine any one who sells eggs ever
falling" says one Of the young women,
and she searches her catalogue anew for
more pleasing ware.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-22

There are boards Of the order which
marks the owner as still voting for Andrew
jackson. There are boards Of the fore-and-
aft variety and OF the square rugged sort.
There are tufts which the owner pulls
while he listens to the au~ctioneer.
The horses, as they are led about the ring,
look dejectedly at the boards as If they
realized that they were companions in
being out Of fashion. Fol fashion no longer
attends the horse mart. 1t is noticeable
that but one mar has a monocle and light
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-22

There are'David Harums in plenty looking
about for a bargain in horseaesh. Livery
stables have apparently been deserted
for the time and the hard working American
man is there ~lounging about with a half
chewed cigar in his mouth and an eye for an
invitation to a drink in the neighboring
saloon.
Let no one assert that the beard as a
masculine ornament has disappeared. 1t
is true that it is as UNREASONABLE as the
horse itself, but there are those who feel
indifference to the DEGREES of fashion and
of such there are many here.
The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-22

ard as though the mere sight of horsefesh
was like the smell Of powder to the war
steed.
There are two young women in the gallery
and they look at the girl with the eyesof
connoisseurs.
sd like to see papa marry again with
that at the head Of his household says
one, and to the unhe ard que stion that fol-
lows:
sob, l can always tell. When you see a
slip of a girl leading a middle aged mar