davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-05-17
"Surprise Tests" on Railroads.


It is but a few years since Ameri.
can railroads began Systematically
the use of "surprise tests" These
more or less directly grew out of an
incident that occurred on one of the
largest systems Of the middle west
&c test the operations of their sig
nails some officials went out one night
and leaving a signal set at clear, -
simply removed the light. They
watched ten or twelve trains go by
and not one engineer stopped to in
quire what was the trouble, as the
rules demand. This same road re-
ports that in 1906, 1000 surprise tests
were made without one resulting in
failure. The figures are a little stag.
gering; human nature is not usually
SO inerrant, says Carl Snyder in
Everybody's. But what is certain is
that accidents on the line have been
very materially reduced. The Penn
sylvania has had an almost identical
experience; and very recently the OFF,
Gals OF the Lake Shore saw "a out of
70 trains go by a signal purposely set
with lights out Yet when the New
York Central system began these sur
prise tests they were threatened with
strike.
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-05-17

not suffer seriously by the long period
OF lmmurement. They are retired
merchants and Independently wealthy.
The fact that the jurors, from the
death of the wife of Juror Joseph B.
Bolton, three weeks after the trial be-
gan, were allowed to go at the close
of each day, helped only in part.
Those who awaited themselves of the
opportunity to go to their Offices were
so overwhelmed with work that it
was severe strain on them. y
Before the death of Juror Bottoms
wife the jurors, when not in the court
room, were locked up in the Broad
way Central hotel. After that they
were given their freedom after the ad
journment each day. Each adjourn
ment invariably found the majority
Of the jurors hustling to their Offices.
to work until late at night. &sE
The jurors received two dollars for
each days service during the trial.
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-05-17
MUSICAL ANTIQUES ONCE
OWNED BY WHITE SOLD

front of the green velvet curtains he
swept the strings across the buttons
of his Waistcoat. A mellow wall like
the breath of an aeolian harp went
forth from the hollow throat of the
ancient instrument The tuneful chit
tarone brought $135, and brother
sold for SITS because he was moulded
on more Outre lines.
Another strange instrument was the
dulcimer, a continuance which looked
like modern either inclosed in
giant glove box. When the attendants
set it on the stand and let down the
sour sides of the box, each depicting
delightful pastoral scenes wherein
kirtled shepherdesses toyed with be-
Sibboned crooks, the creator of the
stage atmosphere came again to the
fore and dropped $500 before the lure
of those shepherdesses. Then they
sold II harps, most of them sans
strings and partially broken by infirm-
ity,. but all antiques. The lowest price
paid for a harp was $S55 and $3.50 was
the high-water mark.
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-05-17
The Straphanqer in London.

The Straphanger IN LONDON
With the introduction Of the Ameri-
can electric railroad system In Great
Britain, the straphanger at once
doomed large in the street car The
Englishman, as everybody knows, OBJ
jects to being crowded, and so parlia'
ment has been called upon to end the
straphanging nuisance" A bill has
been introduced in the house of COM
mons, says Baltimore Sun, and II 1t
is passed there will henceforth be no
straphangers The Englishman who
rides in a street car will be sure of a
seat. The aisles will be kept clear.
There will be no overcrowding. In
matters relating to their personal
comfort Englishmen seem to be very
eXacting Why shouldn't the strap
hanger be welcomed as manifesto
ton of the age-of hustle, hustle and
the dell take the hindmost? The
Londoners show how much they are
behind the times when they insist
upon excluding from street car
every person who cannot get a seat.
They are slow, very slow, in London.
They will never be AmericaniZed and
modernized until they welcome the
straphanger and sacrifice comfort to
expedition and the "get-there" spirit.
Will tho TOodoporc Dovor cease tn
demand all they pay for?
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-05-17

suggested that they write him fully on
the subjects of their mission, and
that he will reply by mail. But, curl
ously enough, even this method is not
satisfactory to many of them.
Recently one of the biggest sena-
tors from the west stalked into Judge
Ballinger's office while he was sur
rounded by crowd of newspaper
men.
Come out to lunch with me-" some
what confidently said the senator.
Its not my lunch time yet, thank
YOU replied the commissioner.
Then I'll wait for you," said the
senator.
I'm afraid if you do you'll wait un-
til about six o'clock, because I've got
so much work piled up on my desk
that 1 probably shan't be able to get
away before that hour
The senator then took his seat in
the reception room and waited, with
what patience he could command, his
regular turn to talk to the commits
sioner, but when he did secure con-
ference he had to talk out loud and
this made him go away angry-also
empty handed.
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-05-17
Washington! Day BY Day
~~ News Gathered Here and There s~~~. 49,. %
at the National Capital
LOBBYISTS NOT FOND OF
NEW FEDERAL OFFICIAL
VIZ ASHINGTON.-J J. B. Bal

w ASHINGTON.-Judge J. B. Bal
W linger of Seattle, the new COM
missioner of the general land office of
the interior department., has set the
politicians and lobbyists to guessing.
When members of the senate and
house call to see him on official bust
ness he refuses to converse with them
IN whispers, but makes them talk out
loud so that everybody within earshot
can hear what is going on. Western
senators and representatives are es-
peclally displeased with this new dis.
pensation of things conversational in
the land office. Those of them who
go there to confer with him usually
have business that they do not want
everybody to know about, at least I'M
til they have secured what they want,
but Judge Ballinger is proceeding
upon the hypothesis that public bust
ness is everybodys business, and so
he insists upon all classes of visitors
speaking in tones that plainly convey
the meaning of their words to all
parts of the room he occupies. To
some senators and representatives
who have objected to his tactics the
new land commissioner has politely
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-05-17

At the recent Stanford White sale
"A there was not more than two min
utes of chaffering on each article be-
fore it was snapped up by eager pur-
chasers. Harps without strings went
for 800 because they were made in
France in the reign of Louis XIV,
and gilt-framed Italian armchairs sold
for $3.50 because of the abiding faith
of the purchasers in their antiquity.
The sale opened with an Offering of
weird musical instruments such as the
novels of the romance days speak
about Familiarity. A star which look
ed like an elongated soup ladle went
for SIS. Then the crowd of purchasers
in the music room at the White resi-
renee saw more value in STARS and
two others went at SIS and Sill each.
The attendants held up an attenu-
ated lutte, whose fretboard stuck out
like the handle of a gardeners spade.
This was a chittarone, English, mid
die of the sixteenth century. AS the
negro in the bottle-green livery lifted
the chittarone up to the little stand in
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-05-17

railroad man, not caring to go so far
as to represent that his guests were
members of his family, living under
his own roof" which is the official
Interpretation of that requirement,
took them along as maids and Wallets
for the members of his family who
were of the party. That was a joke
which the young folks enjoyed, and
added zest to the fun.
1t happens, however, that the com.
merce commission has been receiv.
ing information of such violations of
the law rather frequently of late, but
has never had it in detail sufficient to
enable it to undertake prosecution
until this case occurred. Now the
commission is considering whether
it ought not to reduce this private car
party to the example state, with a
view to checking such occurrences in
the future. The owner of the car is
guilty of one violation of the law, and
each of his guests of another.
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-05-17

'Old Ironsides," the famous frigate
Constitution, is preparing to make
what is likely to be her last cruise
or at least the last trip prior to being
laid up in perpetuity. She is being
fitted for a voyage to Hampton
roads, where she will be one of the
most interesting exhibits at the
jamestown exposition. AS a ship she
will not cut much of figure along
side of the big floating steel fortresses
representing the navies of the world.
But no vessel Of all the number will
typify as much glorious history as
odd Ironsides." 1t seems almost a
pity, says Troy Times, that the
famous craft, now at Brooklyn navy
yard, cannot be put in shape to sail
down the coast and into the famous
roads under her own canvas. This is
impossible, however, and the once
stately vessel will be lowed to her
destination by a commonplace tug.
But even this cannot rob her of her
well-won renown
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-05-17
Round. About J New York
... .y. .~s Gossip of People and Things >4~r~~~.
in the Great Metropolis -
STANDARD OIL TO \. MAKE
i ~ \. ~.
NEW RECORD FOR PROFITS


NEW YORK.-The earnings of the
~ Standard Oil company for some
time have been establishing new high
records. The net earnings for the cur
rent year are expected to reach a fig
ure between $75,O0O,OO0 and 100000
600, or twice the amount required to
pay dividends at last years rate Of
$40 share. The litigation in which
the company is >involved is the only
thing that prevents the Standard Oil
company from increasing its disburse-
ments to shareholders. It is said in
the event of a satisfactory conclusion
of this litigation there will be melon
cutting of no small proportions.
That the management of the Stand
ard Oil company does not believe the
present market price of the securities
is too high is evident from the fact
that the stock is down on the books at
a valuatin $500 a share. Included
in the assets are more than $100,000,-
600 of government bonds.
Producers of oil are sharing in the
prosperity of the Standard Oil COM
pany. Eastern as we'll as western oils
have witnessed sharp advance,
which has served to stimulate pro-
duction materially. There is a pro-
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-05-17
PRIVATE CAR GUESTS
FEAR LAWS IRON HAND

n UT in the city of St. Paul, Mimi,
~ there is a company of estimable
young persons who are sitting up
nights wondering whether they are
going to get into the clutches of the
interstate commerce commission
They have violated the rate law, and
stand to be fined from 500 to $4,000
apiece if they should have the bad
luck to be convicted. It is a case of
accepting free transportation, and un-
der circumstances which we're de-
lightful when the breach of the law
was committed, but have lost some
thing of their glamor since it has been
discovered that it was misdemeanor.
AS the interstate commerce COM
missioner has heard it, prominent
official of the st. Paul got up private
car party for some of his friends
among the younger set of st. Paul
society. The law exempts from the
prohibition of free transportation rail-
road men and their families. This
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-05-17

COME one with fondness for sta
- tistics has discovered that the sum
spent for Easter flowers in, this city
amounts to almost 81. 900, 000.. This
estimate is based on canvass of
flower shops and is as near the cor.
rect figure as can be arrived at with
out great deal of time and labor be.
ing spent on the task. That society
is becoming more extravagant in
floral decoration every year is. the
statement made by one of the florists
to the Four Hundred. This same
florist says that aside from the
amount of money spent at Easter,
there is more money put up daily for
flowers than ever before. There are
also more expensive flowers in the
market than there ever were before,
because so many Of the country gem
tlemen hereabouts, with fine conserva-
tories, are constantly bringing out
newer and higher grades OF mowers
for the market as well as for the
pleasure of raising them. For in
stance, Mr., H. NICK. Twombly, who
has a fine place at Madison, NJ,
has this year brought out some very
fine orchids. = z.rts rs,z ~ .
i These orchids have been retailing
for two dollars each. On the surface
&c would appear that the. poor would
be able to get little pleasure out of
flowers at Easter, but the truth is
they get more real pleasure out OF
them than the rich. In the first place,
the poor appreciate them more when
they get them. and the fact. that they
do not get them until the day after
Easter does not make them, enjoy
them any the less. There are many
societies here for the special purpose
Of distributing flowers smong the
poor: and after any event. q which
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-05-17
THAW JURORS SUFFERED
LOSSES BY LONG TRIAL

NEARLY all Of the jurors in the
~ Thaw trial, who recently failed to
reach verdict in the long drawn out
case, experienced severe financial loss
in sitting on the case. While the
jurors presumed at the outset that
they were in for a long siege of it,
none of them had any idea that the
case would extend the length of time
1t did. During the trial many of the
jurors, prevented from attending to
business affairs with their accustomed
regularity, suffered lossess they can
never recoup. Others fell far behind
in their work, and it will be months
before they can catch up. ,.,. 1904. :..
Besides this, the houses by which
some of the jurors are employed as
managers or in other responsible ca
pacities found their affairs sadly lag
ging, and financial losses that can
not easily be estimated have resulted.
There were only two Jurors who did
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-05-17

DR.. Richard D. Harlan, of Chicago,
has accepted the leadership in the
movement to make George Washing.
ton university great national insti.
tuition of learning. The former presi.
dent of Lake Forest university will
take immediate charge of a nation
wide campaign, and is expected to
make Washington his home. This will
make three members of the Harlan
family at the capital-Justice Harlan
James S. Harlan, commerce commits
sioner, and DR.. Harlan.
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-05-17
QUEER LEGEND OF INDIANS.
Explains Why. white Men Are Superb
or Over Those Of Other Races,

The Seminole Indians believed that
when the Great Spirit created this
world he made three men, all fair of
skin. He led them to q lake and babe
them jump in. The first sobeyed and
came out winter than when he entered
the waters; the second hesitated,
going into the lake when the water
was tribe muddy hence came out
copper colored the third leaped n
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-05-17


lands
would
n
BY paying $25
to happen
lieu land scrip for these lands
ured that the the deal to clear
what
dental discovery that
that a
Your resignation is the
Hermann
DESTROYED IS letter books which contained
Senator Mitchell
Hermann has claimed right putting
hardf
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-05-17
=
i
EASTER FLOWER BILL.
OF GOTHAM $1,000, 900.

they are used profusely, the members
collect them and distribute them
among ~ C l!g the hospitals, institutions and
the poor of the tenement house dis
tricts. Thus, if New York spends a
million dollars on Easter flowers, the
poor and unfortunate of the CITY get
fully two-thirds of them the next
day, and it is only those of moderate
means who get left. r.
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-05-17

He 1912 public
royal artillery
while
missioner public
was despose
1880 Lord
general penpoenary
cson and determination
was uncompromsing servant of British supremacy
retirement of Lord
policy with Egypt Sir Eden
post OF advice Lord
the full
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-05-17

An approximation of the money
spent each year in America for cult.
waited flowers is $10O,O00,Ooo. This
Is an amount equal to one-fifth the
value of all coal mined last year. to
one-fourth the surplus in the national
banks OF the United States for the
last fiscal year, and almost equal to
the net earnings of these banks. It
is nearly twice enough to cover the
bonded debt of all the New England
states combined.
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-05-17

they do some things. better in Mea
SEQ. The manager of a bull fight in
Monterey advertised that a certain
number of bulls would be in tho r,ro
For producing one bull less than the
announced number the man was fined
5000 by the municipal authorities
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-05-17


nigh he was arragn in
judge bail
chtnery
of a
al
legged
Fvrot indicted jury which he himself
gress -,
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-05-17
Katherine Waugh McCulloch. III,

Katherine Waugh McCulloch, justice of the
peace of Evanston, is the first woman Judge ever
elected in that part of the country. In giving
information about how the Office will be con.
Quoted under petticoat administration, she said:
II am glad Of my election BECAUSE
Il. It is the thin end of the wedge which
by consistent work the part of the women,
can be driven home.
g. I feel certain that it will help to realiza-
tion that which women lawyers in particular de-
street.-the placing of woman judge on the bench
of the municipal court of Chicago.
49, 1t will bring to test the declaration of
many men that the intent of the law precludes
woman from occupying the position I am elect
ed to ill. I want to fight that out in court if
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-05-17
An Exclamation.

Mrs. Aikin-You see things in q
different light since you married, do
you not?
Mr.. Nuwed-I ought to-. There were
Is lamps among our wedding pres
ents.-Royal Magazine:
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-05-17

A New York heiress has fled to Eu.
rope TO escape from titled fortune
hunters" If she had on bathing
suit and it began to rain she wou,d
probably jump into the sea to avoid
getting wet.
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-05-17
A. Good YOUNG Man

(. +" $50 A Good Young Man,. t>~l \ j
First Darling--What sort of a fell.
low is Hates young man? 4.,s& ! 49,
|" Second Darling Something awful,
my dear! II you heard him and didn't
see him, you'd think his name was
Lucy. 49,. VII. .==.. #& !.
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-05-17


a. anything that has happened a
OF
"5 II
fitted for
not going out looking but
best justice justice
think
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-05-17
characteri.tic,.

Geniuses are eccentric. someS IL
them touch every post or. tree thew
run across 81 Ii ttxS3s 8 > - :
Most OF EN- touch every friend
they run across or almighty try to-,
Courier-Journa1. -.
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-05-17

Modern pictures, says Mr.. Carnepie
should be bought instead of old mas.
tiers. Yes, but most of the ''old mas
ters" on the market are modern pic
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-05-17
Smell It?

Smell 1t?
where is your automobile depart-
ment?" asked the man entering the
big department store.
Follow your nose," remarked sthe
clerk near the door, Yonkers States
man. - ~ y :"
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-05-17
FREED BY "UNWRlTTEN LAW

Set free of the charge of murder by the
"unwritten law Congressman George X. Favrot,
Of Baton Rouge, La, has been released from jail
by the court of which he himself was Judge
when he shot his boyhood chum, DR.. H. H. AID
rich, dead for remark about Mrs. Favrot =
Aldrich was Fayrots family physician. Mrs.
Favrot is strikingly handsome brunette of the
southern type. The tragedy caused a sensation
through Louisiana, as the three principals be-
longed to the oldest and most aristocratic fam.
lilies in the state. ~ ~
Favrot held the offices of congressman from
the Sixth district and Judge of East Baton
Rouge parish The congressional election had oc.
Cured the day preceding the killing, November 7,
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-05-17
Active Sentiment.

1T is sometimes a hard matter to
deal with delinquent tenants"
II know of one landlord who used
one argument which certainly did
move his tenants"
what was it?''
"He told them to get out" .,-
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-05-17

"A Kentucky youth, seven feet tan
and still growing. has gone to Colo.
RADIO for his health. Probably needs
q mountain to lean against occasion.
ally.
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-05-17
Leaves ! 9 a loophole.

s-.- >>y---.L Leaves 4 loophoIe. Sa7
i a am q glad "a to see. senator, that Won
take q firm stand 81 in favor 81 opening 10
all legislative bodies with prayer
Yes; If we pass bad laws, It p,vu,aa.
us, chance to shift the resnon sstT1
sity.r Chicago Tribune. y
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-05-17
8dk&a&Ga8a<858Sl2aN8812 &aAG&1asaa@psz
\ PEOPLE TALKED ABOVT {
MISUNDERSTANDING
EGYPT'S MAN OF IRON OUT

Lord Cromer, Great Britain's plenipotentiary
on the Nile, the great man in Egypt, who in 20
years. raised the land of the Nile from state of
beggary to condition of prosperity, has resigned
his post on account of ill health
1t had been known for some time that the
health of Lord Cromer was affected, but there was
no idea when he issued his voluminous report on
the progress Of the government recently that his
retirement was impending. 80
Lord Cromer has been the real ruler of Egypt
since 1888, the khedive being mere plaster in his
hands. He built the great dams in the Nile
which have added millions of acres of fertile land
to the ancient country of the Pharaohs. Egypt
was sunk in the deepest debt in the sos, but now
her Golfers are overlooking
The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-05-17
She Had Her Reasons.

Mistress And pray why do you
want to leave us, Anna?
Cook The doctor has ordered my
sergeant q more generous diet. Roy
al Maxaxina. Ia