Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1908-01-04


in different parts of the country. In
Kansas City, Mo-, for instance, Grim
inal Judge Wallace is putting in force
a law closing Sunday theaters-a law
that has been on the statute books for
seventy years. but never before enfvrc-
ed. Judge Wallace is remarkable
man he might be called a Southern
Puritan-a kind of man that no power
on earth could turn him from what he
thought was right. His father was the
same kind of man. By-the-way, it
was on this gentleman's farm, in Jack
son county, Mo-, that Gen. G. c. Bing-
ham, Federal general, got material
for painting his famous picture, Cen
eral Order No. H." which now hangs
in the House of Representatives. at
jefferson City, Mo. " Geperal Order
No. II" was an order issued by Fed
eral General Ewing another General
W. T. Sherman-for all the residents
of certain Missouri counties to vacate
their homes, because, as was alleged,
said residents were giving aid and com
fort to the enemy endeavoring TO
make that country like Sheridan said
he would make the Shenandoah valley
$50 that a crow flying over it would
have to carry his rations with him or
starve." War is what Sherman said
it unexpectedly in Missouri, not only
during the war, but five years before
and five years after.
Speaking of "blue" laws, they have
curious customs in some parts of the
country. Take the law in New Jer-
sey relating to common scolds, for
instance. If one is convicted there of
this offense, the convicted is made to
literally walk the plank, which plank,
called a "ducking STOOL" is inclined
over pond, with stone on the land
end of the plank. When the culprit
reaches the end of the plank over the
water, the stone is lifted off and "down
goes McGinty Tor Miss or Mrs. McGin-
ty, as the case may be) to the bottom
of the pond, but not dressed in his
Tor Eher, as the case may bel best
Sunday clothes" Then to the shouts
by the multitude on shore of "Swim ont,
O'Grady" and Pull for the shore,
sailor, pull for the shore" the violator
of the law is pulled from the water-a
more thoughtful, but, as the novelist
would say, demnition moist, unpleas-
ant body. The "ducking stool" like
the whipping post in Delaware, may be,
as it is sometimes called, "a relic of
barbarism," but it certainly do, as the
Oakley would say, deliver dem goods"
Once is enough. Never, in the history
of New Jersey, has any one been
"ducked' second time.
Another curious blue law is one that
was-and probably is now-in exist
ence in Westm oreland county, Penn
sylvania. People in those days, it
seems, were different from those at the
present time. They sometimes needed
correction. This was especially true
OF those of the female persuasion. So
this Westmoreland law provided that
a husband could legally chastise (deli-
cately putt his wife with switch. pro-
vided said switch was not larger than
the husbands thumb. Now, once there
was man who had wife who needed
" reorganizin as Artemus Ward
would say badly, so badly, in fact. he |
thought he could not begin do to JUS
tice to the subject with a switch 10
arger than his hand. So he put ia
wits to working, and hit upon this /
scheme; He mashed his Thumb HI
'wel'ed to half the size Of Y A.prewnI
walnut, and hostilities ws,ro AGAIN
esumed, Tha might have been all
cry well in the olden tine. hut not in
hese days of the n,w WON. = and tho
-. - elri, lac husband might have
=. ~ one olow' but after that, the
,4 proceedings would have
nterestcd him mo mork. for wbsr
oo '1 q week after, ne recovered from
} would want Ito know what olse ~.
yhtning hit.
ue' YOUR Anhas Toys from the