Semi-weekly herald., 1911-01-12
STRAY TOPICS FROM LITTLE OLD
NEW YORK.

conviction of two Itasiaa kidnapers
ana blackmailers ia this city has Civ.
en- general satisfaction and 1t Is hoped
that the severity of the sentence in
10th cases will have a salutary and
oeterring effect upon other members
oT the altogether too numerous fra
lernity of the Black Hand. Judging
from the experience OF the year Just
ending, considerable portion OF the
italian population of New York seems
10 be making living by blackmail,
while those not engaged in that ne
tarious business furnish the victims
and are living in constant fear OF VIC.
ience from the Matchmaking fraternity
Travellers who have visited Italy dur
ing the present year, say that public
safety throughout Italy has become
greatly improved. This is not at all
surprising in view of the fact that a
large number OF the worst Italian
criminals has emigrated to this coun.
try, most OF them finding q safe refuge
and profitable field in this city.
The patrons OF one of the Brooklyn
theaters, where the most blood-cur.
ding thrillers in the line OF melo.
dramas are on the bill every night,
were treated to an exciting scene
which was not on the program and for
which they had to pay no extra Zee
One of the principal actors, some say
also the best and most natural, in
the show was an old timber wolf.
which did its stunt" behind a thin
wire net, almost invisible from the
audience in the subdued light on the
stage. During one of the perform
ances the wolf, tired OF his confine
ment, broke down the net and leaped
into the auditorium. The yells and
screams OF the spectators frightened
the animal and it tried to get back to
the stage. Finding its way blocked on
every side, the wolf became frantic
and snapped to the right and the left
which greatly increased the scare nj
nally policeman, who had heard the
turmoil, fought his way into the midst
of the panic stricken crowd and, sin
gle-handed, tackled" the wolf lie
choked the animal into submission
but was badly bitten and scratched in
the attempt.
Burglars are having gay time, a
al Ia,
weeks burglars have been busy in all
parts of the Bronx, but during Christ,
mas week they worked harder than
ever During that one week they en-.
tered more than twenty houses and
stores and stole property valued in
the aggregate at more than $4,000
Even stores supposed to have been
watched by private watchmen, were
robbed Strange to say not n single
one of the victims ever caught a
glimpse OF the lDtrnders and nobody
burglar or burglars. Neither the regu
lar police force nor the detectives
stationed in the Bronx district have
been able to find an! trace OF the male.
factors and the residents OF the Bronx
are asking Themselves Whist the po-
licedepartment is good for anyhow
The firemen in the down town busi.
ness district had a rather nusuai eX-
perience the other day. when a fire
broke out in two vaults OF the Metro
politan Fire Insurance building on
Park place. When the firemen ar
rived upon the scene they found that
the fire had originated in some my
terious manner in the lower steel
vault and had worked Its way into the
vault above Heavy steel doors with
combination locks confronted the fire.
men and to get at the fire they had
to become safe-breakers. 1t took them
fully two hours to batter down the low
er door and nearly as long for the up
per. Even then they could not reach
the seat of the fire until they had
various compartments.
Almost anything may be found in
New York and 1t has been sore dis.
appointment to thoroughbred New
Workers everytime the bones of some
big prehistoric animal were found in
some part Of the country, that no
such bones were ever found in their
beloved Gotham. 1t was with great
satisfaction that the people of this
city received the news the other day
that the well.preserved skeleton of
real dinosaur had been found imbed.
ded in the rocks OF the Palisades oppo-
site One Hundred an Fifty-hfth street
Judging from the size of the bones
scientists figure that the antediluyian
animal, which belonged to the Lizard
family. was from thirty to forty feet
long and from fifteen to eighteen feet
nigh when it lazlly crawled over Man
haitian island a few million years ago
BASEBALL NOTES.