The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-03-08

| Is also reading Thaw.
The maid is in the garden
| Where the wind is raw2
MOI upon your Ife-She'S in
The Kitchen reading Thaw.
St. Louis Post-DisDatch.
s Millions for Damages.
| In an article entitled 1.-The Needless
| Slaughter by Street Cars by John P.
Fox, in the March Everybodys, the
| writer says:
''Thes appalling statistics are back
| ed by still more remarkable figures as
to the amounts paid out for damages
| by American and by European COM
panies. Thus, the various companies
1905 a total of $2,O98,OO9.59 paid out
in damages. Two million dollars in a
single year! But this was not all. The
| same companies reported for legal ex-
penses in connection with accidents
the further item of $1,OO5, S92.S1,
making the total amount of damages
$3,103, 902.40.
This is equivalent to $4,000. 900
1.-THE total amount paid out by all
the tram companies of the United
Kingdom, including Great Britain and
ireland. for the year 1so3-1904, was
cor take it by cities. The amount
paid out by the municipal system OF
Liverpool for 1905 was $53,S00. The
amount paid out by the Boston Ele-
Boston, for 1906 was 5000, 576!
1.-The traffic of the chief Berlin COM
pany is greater by half than that OF
the Brooklyn Rapid Transit company.
Berlin company was $65,500. The
amount paid out by the Brooklyn COM
pany in 1905. was $64s, 03S.10!
80 I might continue the list. This
is what accidents mean to the COM
panies tn emselves, in dollars and cents,
in reduced dividends and reduced sal
aries. One would think that pure
iself-interest, if nothing else, would in
duce the companies to do something
to stop this tremendous leak"
Thieves Markets.
In the United States we appeal to
the police or search the -pawnshops for
articles that have been stolen from us,
but in the City of Mexico you wait
until Sunday, and then HE away be-
times in the morning to the public
market, or volador, just a few steps
from one corner of the Great Plaza.
Here you wander through narrow
crooked alleys, among queer little
piles of vegetables, second hand hard
ware, new and old pottery. heaps of
good and poor clothing, stepping care
fully all the while to keep your feet
off the various wares that are spread
out on the ground in Irregular fash
ion, according to the Whim of the mar
ket man.
Here you discover, openly displayed,
the silver sugar bowl stolen from your
house. You must not try to confiscate
it nor offer to prove it is yours. You
sedately begin to bargain for it, and
when you have haggled the price
to what you can afford to pay, strike
a bargain, hand over the money and
the bowl is yours again. Take a good
look at the fellow who sold it to you
that you may be on your guard if ever
you see him about your house, for in
all probability he is the thief who rob,
bed you.
Strange as it may seem, the thief is
protected by an old custom which
says that if hec olathesSunday morn-
ing after his crime, display his booty
in this market, he may be exempt
from punishment. This old custom
has given this volador the name of
Thieves Market. The Travel Mag
azine. see
Growing Strawberries.
The amateur gardener who wishes to
set out bed of strawberry plants this
spri 1g mast first prepare his soil well.
AS soon as the ground is ready to work
plow under the cover crop" and har-
row until it is in good shape to re-
ceive the plants. Unless the soil is very
fertile it is best to take year to pre-
pare it for the berries. The best way
to do this is to apply a thorough coat
ing of well rotted manure about 80
loads to the acre. or an equivalent
amoI'nt Of artificial fertilizer, and plant
early potatoes, beans, or some crop
that requires a good deal of cultiva-
ton When this crop is removed sow
some rye in the soil after blowing it
we'll.
The strawberry plants should be or
dered for delivery early in the spring. |
Select the varieties which you learn by |
careful inquiry thrive best in your vi |
cinity. Set the plants Is to "a inches |
apart in the row and have the rows
about AZ inches apart. Set the plants |
1oh n
but not the crown. Cultivation should /!
begin ston after the plants are set, |
and continue through the summer. not |
allowing the ground to form a crust |
after a hard rain. AS soon as the plants |
begin to form runners, place these in |
line with the old plants and cover with |
moist earth, thus. propagating a row |
of new plants as soon as possible. AS |
soon as the ground freezes the plants /
should be covered with hay or. clean |
straw, to protect them from alternate |
freezing and thawing.
The Editor Who Broke Loose.
E. H Hartman, at a Gridiron club |
dinner in Washington, urged original
ity on several newspaper correspond
ents in striking way.
I'D like to see you cut adrift from
old fashioned, cut-and-dried. insincere
Methods said Mr.. Hartman I'm a
less extreme away, I'd like to see you
write with the candor of a certain
southern editor. He, on. the occasion
of society marriage, broke loose from
all conventions. He went too far, of
course but in spirit he was right.
What he said was:
miss Jane Smith was married to
young John Jones yesterday afternoon
The bride is the usual type of town
girl, and knows no more about house
keeping than an Indian. She is not a
beauty by any means, and her lazi-
ness and vanity have caused her par
ents a good deal Of trouble in the past.
The groom is well known here as an
up-to-date Ioafer. He has been living
on the old folks all his life. and now