Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-12-26

II &tbEopohn from Day TO nay.
II an example IL needed outside the
national cash box Of the mighty grip and
expanding zeal Of a pension system, New
York supplies a shining specimen The
extensive and liberal system OF pensions
| FOR policemen on the retired list totals
N75O,OoO this year. The increase in the
obligations OF the fund In four years foots
| up S'l100O Every year brings a deficit
until now the shortage is 100000 A def
/ ict I'm tho pension fund does not disturb
the regulation ghost walk" The pen
sioners get their money regularly. leaving
/ to the city financiers whatever worry there
be in hustling the coin. Eight years ago
a reforming commissioner pushed a large
number OF officers Of high rank onto the
/ retired list adding sSseOcO to the pension
payroll in one swoop. The city is even
more generous with It's firemen. I'VE
encourage firemen." says a department Of
fetal, TO save human life at the risk Of
their own lives by letting them know that
We will take care Of their families should
anything serious happen. The department
! faithfully keeps its promise In this respect
as the families OF departed firemen come
around for their money, There is one
]
since 1871. During nearly forty years the
city has given her about $1,000. There is
another widow, now 20 years old. who has
/ been getting her $500 since 1872 Just two
/ instances from many.
George W. Berrien probably Is longest
on the list Of retired firemen. lie Joined
i the department In 1865 and retired as as
sistant engineer in 1878 and gets 1924 a
year pension. At per cent that would
mean h5,6OO slowed away in the bank"
! The first issue OF the Weekly Loonytic
published by the inmates Of Matteawan
asylum, where Harry X. Thaw is confined
has just appeared. Thsw does not appear
as one of the editors, but Il is announced
will contribute to the next issue
The paper says in its salutatory: Every
profession, trade or business has Journal
| to voice its wants, kicks and benefits ex-
cept the lunatics. In the state OF New
York $4,000 OF us are now restrained
! fed, housed and clothed at an annual ex-
pense Of 100000. Outside of insane asy-
lums thousands are being incubated In the
hatcheries of so-caled civilized and Chris
tan society preparing to make one of
these palaces their final roosting place
1t Is to put them and the taxpayers wise
to the inside Of their future home that we
launch this long-felt want
! THE profits from this family journal
will be spent for the entertainment of the
inmates. It's the same old thing here
/ day after day. Give us a chance to help
ourselves"
| new aid to shoplftlng has appeared
/ in the stores OF New York City and is
making the men and women paid to watch
for light fingered shoppers keep their eyes
( open. 1t is apparently an ordinary
| leather valfse, but 1t has no bottom
Instead there are two collapsble slides
which fold back at either side, and when
released by spring snap together. The
shoplifter picks out some article that lie or
she wants to take away and when the
clerk is looking the other way sets the
bag over it. An inconspeuous button
is pressed, the slides snap shut under the
article and the shoplifter goes out with
the loot in the valise
They've sprung false arms and hands
! on us" said a store detective land were
used TO phony pockets and shawls and
hollow hair rats, but this Is a new one.
Whoever thought out the bottomless valise
was genius"
The great gathering of gulls on the new
retaining reservoir in Central Park makes
pretty spectacle, relates the New York
Sun. On most mornings between 500 and
LOCO guls feck the middle Of the reservoir,
with others drifting in from all quarters
Of the sky, many of them apparently from
the East River. From the distance two
kinds Of gulls seem to be present, white
ones and black ones. The white birds
are really the gray mantled, white breasted
adult herring glnls; the blacks are the
smoky clouded young
The assemblage is never quite still
watchers eye is caught by dozen rest
less wings where here and there guIls al
ready on the water flap their way to
choicer positions, or a late arrival after
circling lazily down from the sky and Gid
ing the last hundred feet to the surface
hovers and settles, his white sails poised
moment before furlng, as is the stately
way of gulls. When a rOwbost put out
toward them the other day all the birds
rose together the great flock weaving
and scattering drifted off on the west wind
to hang high above the housetops until tine
intruder had vanished.
Tipping has taken a stTangulation hold
on new \ Ork. sald the man from Chicago. !
out In our town we also tip everybody.
but we still have grit enough to refrain |
from apologizing whom we haven't money
enough left to tip with But grit has de-
serted the New Yorker; he apologies. The !
other day l lunched with a man who grew
mighty uneasy near the end of the meal. |
Just before we left the table he sum- |
moned the waiter and explained tnat he !
was minus a bill when he had believed |
to be I'm his pocketbOok and would have |
to be excused from tipping The waiter !
received his apology with the air of a !
bank president listening to the whine Of
a beggar. No doubt ;nat man win eat
there again In few days and give a |
double tip to make up for past detection
A legacy OF $1,000 is to be given to IL !
year-od Thomas Osborne Of Riverhead !
L. l., II he does not assume the profession I
Of clergyman. This is the provision of /
the win OF his great-aunt Mrs. Helen !
urhO cd 81 he Of "a ..