davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-21
GHOSTS IN COURT.
Numerous Cases Where spooks Have
 Figured In Notable Lawsuits.

From Tit-Bits.
 It would be difficult to conceive of any thing that has not at some time or other served as an excuse for going to law. Even ghosts in some few instances have been thus introduced into the prosaic at- mosphere of the law courts.
 In one case where a gAost figured a litigant entered an action to recover some 2000 pounds, the sum paid for the free- hold of certain historic ruins reputed to be haunted by the spectre of the famed Amy Robsart. It was the fact of the place being supposed to be haunted by a ghost of historic reputation that had first induced the claimant to purchase the property with the view to securing in addition the ownership of the haunting shade. Presumably without the spectre the property was woethless from the claimant standpoint, and. failing to find there the object of his quest he re- pented of his bargain; hence this action, which, however. like the claimant6s origi- nal search for the phantom, failed.
 But the ghost that one person will go to law to regain possession of another will defy the law to compel him to accept. The owners of houses reputed to be haunted also invariably have some trouble to let; and when a tenant happens at last to be secured, frequently fresh trouble arises. Cases of this sort have at rare intervals beeH before the courts, and the offending phantom, with which the scared occupier had refused to share the tenancy, has sometimes been left in tri- umphant possession for considerab ble period afterward.
 According to a decision given by jury in the circuit court at Carbondale, Ill.,, in May last year, 1t seems the testimony of a ghost may there be taken as legal evidence. will which 1t was claimed, had been dictated by the spirit of the late husband of a wealthy widow and carefully copied by the testator herself just before her own demise, was sought to be set aside by one of the sons not remembered in the will in question.
 The jury took the view Chat the widow in disposing of her property had used her own proper discretion in taking the advice given her by her husbands spirit, and that the will, therefore held good.
 On one occasion, at least a ghostly vis- itant has figured In divorce proceedings. Not long ago, a woman at Albany, N. Y sued for dissolution of marriage. the sin gular reason being that she was contin- ually haunted by the ghost of her hus- bands first wife. She plteously pleaded that the grost of wife No. 1. evidently to mark her disapprova1 of the husbands second marriage haunted her by day and night and systematically annoyed her. With remarkable forethought and pro- nounced perfectly sane by two mental experts. As a result the ghost theory was accepted as legally tenable and the court, after hearing all the evidence, de- cIded to set the parties free.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-21

tors wife appeared and the janitor left. The question of housekeeping was again raised.
 Well" said the Janitress T think you could do a little light housekeeping, but not very much"
 Back to the agent went the woman
 Hike it?' he drawled unenthusiasti- caly.
 Much" answered the womAn laconi- cally, and then she repeated the two bits of information she had gathered as to housekeeping being allowed on the prem ises. Tho janltor had said there must be none and the janltress had said there might be just a very little.
 Cook the roof off If you want to- said the agent drowhly.
 And the woman went away "flabbsrs gasted."
The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-21

finement in the penitentlary at Quentin for period of five years.
 Schmitz was humilated; he said so, not once, but many times. In his anxiety that the fact should be clearly under stood he put aside that manifestation of respect for the dignity of the court which common criminals usually entertain But Schmitz is no common criminal and his humiliation is of no common order. The latter is of that defiant and bellioose character, which stands on the one pedes- tai of brazen effrontNry. It Is appraised. however, at its real value by the people of San Francisco. It leaves nothing to be surmised as to tho ultra-crokedness of the man.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-21
The Schmitz Humiliation.

From the Portland Telegram.
 That was a remarkable scene in Judge Dunnes court yesterday. For dramatic interest there has never been anything like it in the judicial history of the Pa oific coast. With Judge Dunn and the convicted mayor in the chief roles, the one expressing the indignant censure of q great city, the other maintaining stead fastly the stupendous game of bluff in which he evidently Is deceiving himself more than anyone else there was no lack of nerve -tlnging sensation
 As a matter of fact, Schmtz himself held the center of the stage. He stood directly in the spotlight, maintaining an attitude which stripped him of whatever measure of respect conservative people entertained for him. The case of schmitz is paralleled only by that of the lower desperate criminal who is defiantly re- calcitrant 10 the last With profession of humiliation, there was utter lack of shame There was bombast without foundations; an expressed belief in the confidence of the people that was fol- lowed by cheers of approval when the final word of the court was pronounced, which consigned Eugene Schmitz to con.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-21
FOR THE FIRST TIME

in its history the Jefferson Theatre has been leased to ne- groes exclusively. Charles Win ter Wood, under the auspices of the Blue Lake Park Co.,, J. J. Pearson, President, will enter tain his people Monday and Tuesday nights at the Jeffer- son; Wednesday and Thursday nights at Blue Lake Park. His support will be home talent. An act will be put on by the Or ange Blossom boys, late of Pantopia. Charles W. Wood without a doubt has no equal in his race.
 Tickets for sale at Peoples Drug Store, Peoples Investment Bank, Pend ny Savings Bank and Crystal Drug Col
 Charles Winter Wood Is a wondaz--S Atlanta Jsvxnal
The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-21

can't make up her mind. and through her indecision Is often left behind"
 A woman received a consolation prize for this reply:
 "One, who, possessing charm, uses it; discovering power, abuses iti securing love, refuses 1t; pluoks fairest fruit-and bruises it.''
 a man for this effusion:
 "A f1irt is the wasp of society rifling all the flowers of friendship, but pro- ducing no honey"
 Other noteworthy answers were:
 "A flirt Is the destroyer of youthful belief in the goodness of human na- ture'
 "A queer fish, having the voracity of shark arms of an octopus and backbone of a jellyfish."
 "One whose heart Is so susceptible and soft that Cupid's arrows pass completely through 1t without sticking
 The moral earthquake that destroys our fair city of belief in both man and woman6ind.'
 "A flrt is a fraudulent person who by numerous devices tries to obtain love under false pretenses.'
 "A poacher with anuring snares on Cupld's estate"
 "One who sees how near a lighted
  fire without setting it aglow."
 "One who plays with Cupid but wears a suit of armorI'
 '"The girl yno plays with all the boys and treats them all as penny toys"
 "A maiden effusive, attractive, elusive, of high hopes conducive. yet never con- elusive"
 ",The average flirt is like the cheap boot-poor sole. plenty of tongue, elegant appearance, but weak in the uppers."
 "One whose high opinion of her own attractions Is only exceeded by her ut ter disregard of the feelings of oth- ers."
 "One born with an immense capacity for love, a lamentabe lack of control and a goodly touch of vanity"
 "One who loves to lure victims to the Heights of Happiness-and throw them over"
 "One who desires flattery and adml- ration from the opposite sex, and to gain that end ignores conventionalities and sincerity"
 "The offspring of a vanity which makes women ridiculous and men contemptible in the eyes of all rational people"
 "A thief who. to gratify vanity, robs sentiment of It's feeling, friendship of it's sincerity and love of It's beauty"
 'One who jangles life's sweetest melo- dy and makes 1t out of tune"
 "Girl who gets about and makes the boys all love her; when she's had her fling, makes a model mother"
 "A creature without mind enough to reflect, heart enough to be constant. love enough to be true"
 "One whose qualification is another's modification"
 One who desires to please, craves universal admiration, experiments in love and helps to educate men to marry other women"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-21
WHAT IS A FLIRT.
London Newspaper Asks Questions
 and Offers Prizes.

From the Chicago Record-Herald
 People in England have been puzzling themselves over the question, What is a firt?" A London newspapers started the discussion and even offered prizes for the best replies. Thousands of answers were received. Of course men won the prizes men. presumably, who had fallen victims to some jilt
 The best answer was said to be the following:
 "A misguided individual who wants all loves roses without any thorns, and usually ends with nothing to show but scratches"
 The second prize man rendered this reply:
 "One who leads you to loves para disc and then rudely slams the gates in your face"
 And the man who received the third prize answered in this wise:
 "A sampler of Cupid's wares who
The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-21
WOODMEN DAY.

July 24th, 1907. Germania Park, grand picnic and barbe- cue, free to all Woodmen and families in the district. All friends of Woodmen, 25 cent ticket gives them the same privilege. Car will leave Third avenue and 18th st. at 9 o o'clock in the morning. Prizes will be given to the best lady and gen. tlemen dancers both afternoon and evening; also to handsom- est lady will be given a beauti- full prize during the evening.
 GEO. B. BATES, Chairman.
 c. PFIESTER, Clerk.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-21

lower I discovered 1t to be the opening to one of the giants coat pockets. Lower and lower. Then l was in the pocket bouncing about in the bottom, madly clutching at the cloth lining. Then
 'I awolke. The sheets on my bed were wrapped all about me, while with my hands I had caught the corners, which l was cramming into my ears. I heard nothing. I pulled the sheets out of my ears. Everything was dead quiet I crawled out of the bed and looked out of the window. I gazed into my neighA. bor's front yard. The grass was cut"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-21
& Co.
2109 First Avenue.

FOR SALE s1oc0-e21kx100, lot 14th avenue, near Ina st. s14O0-Fountain Heights, cor. lot s20 Pr. Ft.-19th St.; opp. fire dept. sScJ-Good cor. lot IS st. 18th ave- $75O0-2-story res. Path st. near 12 ave. $250o-6cx190, 30 st. cor: Norwood. s65 Pr. ft-S ave. & 25 st. cor. s7ovo-7 ave. cor. 2-story res. wide lot. s15.00o-S ave-, corner, 50x100. $500 Pr. ft.-Good ave-, cor. S12, ,500-4 ave, corner. improved, s21 ,000-Large cor, houses rent s2620 s57oo-New brick store cor; rent s600. s10,000-Mountain ave. cor. res. big lot. s6O00-2 story cor. s. Higlds res. SIS, 00O-S. Hilgds cor, res. large lot. s3150-Big lot l blk. S. 20 st. $2000-Lot s. b st. 55 feet. s1o0 Pr ft.-Ensley ave. E 21 & g Sts. $500 Pr. Acre-Choice West End tract.
 R. MCCONNELL & CO, ,Hhons G0. 217 Sd Ave.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-21

If you go to H. Hentschel, 1916 First Avenue, and drink a big cool schooner of beer direct from the keg you will never vote the prohibition ticket.
The broad ax., 1907-04-06

Now that the election is over, the
many subscribers to the Barnett
election Contest Fund" will anxiously
ou,ait the verdict of the promised con-
tsst For many dollars were subscriD-
al N the Colored Republican Club Tor
the specific purpose OF contesting inc
,Ioc,;op which ended so disgracefuliy
for the Negroes, and unless there Is Il
,o,t.st the money subscribed should
no refunded.
Some two or three weeks ago. az
Monroe Louisiana, two Colored men
were lynched by a mob OF Southe'h
Christians. for an alleged criminal as
sault upon a white woman. 1t Is sal
after the Iynching a placard was az
tacbed TO their bodies and inscribed
thereon a warning to all Negroes, AMI
by threats of lynching and burning
every Colored person in that he'll
boIe" was compelled to- leave their
homes and gaze upon the mutiiate'
bodies OF the dead men. Comment )
unneccssiary.- The Advocate, Port
land, Oregon.
No, satisfied with sending All tnH
C,',rrd soldiers to The PhilI'ppt"c L.
land. except the sixty-five or seventy
detailed al West Point, where they
ere practically To act rs servants. the
Government has transferred Major
vHch. the only Negro paymaster in
tho service to the Philippines Tie
presumption is that as all Of the Col
cred soldiers are to BE- together, natur-
ally tncy need the services of Negro
paymaster. Many things are happen
ing under the reign of Theodore /,
that never happened before.-The Al
ro-American Ledger. Baltimore, Md.
Admitting editor Murphy, that Pres
idcnt Roosevelt. has in many WAYS
treated the Negro most shamefully the
most important question is whether OF
hot You would urge every Negro to
vote for him if he should run for
President in 1908.
The broad ax., 1907-04-06
CHOICE MISCELLANY
Fur Coated Fish

Indians fishing at Mou>chilr abor,
last Christmas time were mcrt-s.. v-i,L
satisfactory success when suddenly an
of them hooked a grayling which hat
on Il fur OvercOat. This >..rrrrrr,
though it may not appear So ~ a.>r i
literally true. The fish had all over il,
body a soft dark brown fur. ann m.
Indians. fearing that this p,r...r,,r
some great and sudden disaster. ami,
fishing and went To praying.
1t may he that In all th.. cyrr-s.r..
of the aborigines they had uyyp- .r.r
or heard of anything like tl., r.r.~.
hut il does not follow thIl Ec.au-. ~
experience with fish is uryy i, s. r..-.
fore Incredible. New thiu-s a. har
pening in the fish world SD o.. lima.
Is It not Il fact that nearly ,r,. ~.-
son some hitherto unrelated t.l Stories
are brought To our attention ami ABB!
ell tO our cherished cullccti.u-.
This fur OvercOat story is really no.
more surprising than The news .r..
Missouri river fish ~ certain -...r..
of the year wear overall :, E.... ,..
the dust Different ,lls-....s .-s..
about different haIitS in il,. lisa fam.
ily.-Chicago Inter Ocean.
The broad ax., 1907-04-06
NEGRO DEPRAVITY.

We hear much nowadays about cri-
minality and especially about the NOR
al depravity of the Negro people; and
the constant reiteration of the charS-
es is having the direful psychological
effect of making the thouShtleSS
among us believe that there is foun-
dation in fact to the charges.
In 1850 We were slaves and by force
of circumstances there were few Leg
innate homes among us: but in 1907
according to the last census-thera
were 373.45O homes owned by Negroes
in this country. challenged history
is silent for a duplicated. When We
read Lecky. Mulhall and others on the
subject of morality i'm European cOun-
tries among the peasantry, we arc
vertically surprised To see to what
heights the Negroes have attained in
morality:
Mulhall. in his Dictionary Of Statis-
tics. gives us the following figures as
10 illegitimacy: For every 1000 births
in Leipsic 2I1 are illegitimate: in
Paris. PCS: in St. Petersburg. 23b. in
Copenhagen. 279: in Prague. l39: in
Munich. 439: in Vienna. i49; in
Stockholm. 1896; in Moscow, 500.
We are by 10 means the only peb-
lies on the beech. and We do not care
for the dishOnOr.-EX.
The broad ax., 1907-04-06

1t is generally believed Tint The sarr
Shelled egg occasionally lHlI lr r-.. l,..
is due to deficiency IF lime in r'... '..I
Some experiments carried urf %, r..
experiment Eat!"n, Kansas. hYvrvyr.
seem To Indicate that this is Not ,h,.
right explanation. II rather au,,sl> ~
be n case Of arrested dcvciriG.ra' Gu-
to nervous shock. ami To- lee ANALOGOUS
to abortion in mammals. Soft >l...,rl
eggs were laid at the experiment ~.a-
ton by hens subjected Ia nrryuu~ eye
element And il is shown shat "u 40
ordinary diet q hens system normally
contains enough lime Tor the shell, of
five or six eggs. II lime is Withheld
then. after laying these five or sis. tl.
hen will cease laying. But If lime fu
limited quantity be given the Lnl IGy>
eggs in proportion to the amount Civ.
en-. though the shells on INVESTIGATION
are found To he somewhat thinner than
nOrmal.-LOndun GlGhe.
The broad ax., 1907-04-06
A New Theory as 70 Iron R.st.

It has long been generally supposed
that iron rust was caused Icy oxidation
though many chemists hay" been nn-
posed to that view. The theory ~
oxidation has now. II wuUlI appear
been quite upset The chemical ~r..r-
ties of London have decided that -l"
formation of rust is chiefly due t1 car
bonic acid. The first phase 81 rust.
consists of the formation Of car'raa'"
OF iron by the action of the rslrh1G.r
acid of the air on metal TIL cor.
Donate of iron is turned into frrr.r Ay.
droxid. or rust. Recent experiments
made by G.. T. Moody prove thar i y
is possible To prevent iron from coming
in contact with carbOnic acid il the
iron so sheltered or protcci,h, can lie
near water for an indefinite time and
there will not be the least trace OF
rust seen on il.
The broad ax., 1907-04-06
Butte Now Beautiful.

The city of Butte is no longer
plagued as it was some years az" 10y
the fumes of sulphur that arose from
the copper plants. destructive alike 10
all forms of vegetation and obnoxious
to the OlfactOries of the people. SAID
DIR. John VI. Scanland of that town To
the Washington Herald. "All the Smelt-
ers save one owned by Senator Clark
are now Mt Anaconda. and the local
plant has a smOkestack of such ire
mendOus height that the injurious VA
pOrs are carried off. Now we are he
ginning to have green lawns and
leaves on our trees at last"
The broad ax., 1907-04-06
HEARKEN, THEODORE RoosE
WELT

Theodore Roosevelt, this is the
chance of your career. You have done
wrong. This is not strange. So have
others, high and low, thousands and
millions before you. You have acted
hastily, impulsively and doggedly. 30
all men act who think strongly and
feel deeply. But slowly, surely the
wrong you have done hundred black
men and their ten million fellows mas
struggled doubtingly. determinedly 10
the light. and sits today in silent judg-
ment on your soul. / will not say that
the Twenty-ffth infantry have abSo-
iutely proven their entire innocence
but | do say, and the whole country
agree. that they have raised doubt
as TO their guilt-a doubt so real, so
firm. so reasonable that no court in
Christeniom would convict them III
, the fact of il. You have cnnvicted
them. You thought them guilty. Their
guilt is today mproven. You know II
is unproven. You know that their IN
Hocence is so near proven that the
nation sits dumb before their testl-
mony.- The nation is watching EoI-
/ The black millions are waiting. The2-
dore Roosevelt. are YOU an honest
man? If you are, speak.-The Hor!-
/ zOn.
The broad ax., 1907-04-06
No Old Glory On Bottled Reer.

In a decree which patriotic Ameri
cans will receive with grateful ap-
prevail the supreme court of the Unit
ed States has squarely affirmed The
right of state TO enact laws tu pre-
vent the Dissertation of the United
States flag. The matter came up IN
an appeal from a decision by the courts
Of Nebraska. which held that the Use
OF a reproduction of the national en-
blem and the words "starS and stripes
on the labels Of bottled beer amounted
TO n violation Of the state law against
flag Dissertation. The Army and Navy
Journal urges that every state in the
Union shall pass such law-and en-
force il.
The broad ax., 1907-04-06
PLAN FOR GRAND JURY CHANG
ES

At the meeting of the Grand Jurors
association of Cook county, which will
be held Monday evening at s
o'clock in the lecture room of the
Methodist Church block, corner of
Clark and Washington streets, a
number of eminent speakers will be
present to discuss the proposed Mod
ification of the Present Grand Jury
System" Among the speakers will
be States Attorney Healy, Judge
McEwen, ]. P McGoorty and others.
Afterward the subject will be open for
general discussion. This question has
a considerable bearing on the subject
of criminal Jurisprudence.
The broad ax., 1907-04-06
NEGROES BARRED FROM U. S.
ARMY.

st. Louis, Mo.-Leutenant, Colonel
William r. Hamilton, in charge of the
United States army recruiting office in
the Old Custom House, has received a
telegram from Washington ordering
that no more Negroes are to be enlist
ed for service in the regular army.
Dispatches say that all Negro troops
in the United States will be dispatch
ed forthwith to the Philippines.
This new movement, in refusing to
permit Colored men enlist in the Unit
ed States army is in keeping with
the new policy adopted by the head
of the war department, for lately Sec
rotary Taft, issued an order directing
that rs member of the Ninth Calvary
proceed to West Point, and while sta
toned there those famous fighting Col
ored troopers must clean the horses
for the white cadets. and act as their
servants.
No Democratic President, nor Secre-
tary Of War, could humiliate the Ne
gro soldiers to any greater extent than
Secretary Taft, and President Roose-
welt, and yet IL either one Of them run
for President next year, the so-called
leading Negroes, as well as the most
ignorant ones win be in favor Of muir
The broad ax., 1907-04-06
PLACING THE RESPONSIBILITY
OF THE BROWNSVILLE RAID.
Concluded from page L.


tors Warner, Frazier, Foster and Over
man, but he could not be shaken. -
Captain Edgar A. Macklin, of Com
pany c. 25th infantry, was among the
many white officers, to testify before
the senate committee on military at-
fairs, and without the least hesitation,
he declared, that The Negro soldiers
were not guilty OF Shooting up
Brownsville"
The majority of the witnesses who
have appeared before the committee
on military affairs, white and Col
ored, have arrived at the same conclu-
sion.
notwithstanding this fact, all the
members on military affairs, aside
from Senator Foraker, are making an
extraordinary effort, to fasten this
crime on the Negro soldiers, in order
to vindicate President Roosevelt and
to Justify him in branding them, as q
band Of midnight assassins,