davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-18
-e'------- SUICIDE FOR S5,25

From the New York Times.
 A riekpocket in the subway who on Thursday stole the money which Frieda Lester, a 2i-year-old skirt operator. had scrimped out Of her wages to buy Easter nnery led her to commit suicide last night The girl lived with her brother Louis, his wife and eight children on the third floor of T East One Hundred and Fifteenth street, between Fifth and Madison averues. She had saved small sums for many months to buy some new things for H'astei, and on Thursday she started downtown with her little hoard of So to make her purchasers
 When the girl got out of the subway train she found that her purse was miss ing from her handbag. A pickpocket had opened the handbag taken out the purse and closed it again. The girl had to walk back to her home in Harlem. Downcast, she told her relatives that she wished to kill herself.
 Miss Lester was more Respondent than ever yesterday when she saw other girls atdred in Easter finery but she mads no more threats of suicide and lulled the sdsl icions of her relatives After they had gone to bed at 10 O clock last night she went to the front window of the fiat climbed ont, On the sill ard threw her self leadfirdt V the pave nunt
 Patrolman McCarvey of the East One Hu d ed an1 Fourth street DO ire s,a- tioo saa her fall. She was dead when he reached her side.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-18
HAIRPIN DIET FATAL

From the New York World.
 Having swallowed hundreds of hairpins within the last two years. Mrs. Alice Bischoff died Sunday night in Bellevue hospital Today an autopsy vii be per- formed so doctors may learn how it was possible for her to live so long with hair pins in her stomach.
 The woman. who was 4S years old, lived niitted to the Matteawan Asylum for the Criminal Insane early sn 1912. At once she began to swallow every hairpin she could get. On March 26 that year an op- eration was performed. and many hair pins were removed from her stomach Sixteen days later it became necessary to perform another operation. and more hairpns were removed. A third opera ton, performed in April, brought out more of the bits of metal.
 The following month she was removed to the Manhattan State hospital. where she continued to gulp hairpins. Several months ago it was found they had punc- tured her stomach and liver, and had affected the action of her heart Another operation was performed, and an extra guard was placed on her to keep her from swallowing any more pins.
 But she got more of her strange food secretly, for several days ago she was taken ill and the X-iays showed many heirpins in her stomach. Another opera tSor was imperative. She died from shock
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-18
ANIMAL COURTsHIPs
From London Tit Bits.

Surprising though the statement may seem, it Is a fact, borne out by the care ful study of scientists, that practically every form of marriage contract known to men, from free love to the soul-mate theory, can be found in the animal world. Male animals even have their bachelor clubs and that wonderful nat uraiist, MT. Ernest Thompson Seton, has related how little societies of animals are established among deer and antelopes These societies usually consist of three together in perfect friendship. They are quite happy. and never quarrel or fight until some lady intrudes. But once a doe joins the herd, good-by to peace. The brothers fight among themselves while the doe looks on and enjoys the sport, until one of them drives off the others~and goes away with her
 There are four distinct forms of mar riage among homogeneous animals. The first closely resembles the trial marriage and is the type represehted by the moose The male selects a mate and is faithful to her so long as she pleases him and when sine no longer charms he promptly di- vcrces her and finds another mate.
 The second type of animal marriage is that which lasts during the breeding sea- son only. Some animals seek their mates
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-18
TRANSATLANTIC TELEPHONE


 London Correspondent in New York Times.
 William Marconi reached London re- centlysand reiterated his prediction that he would be able to telephone across the Atlantic in the near future-possi- ply within six months
 some newspaper accounts of my re- cent experiments in Italy" he said were very funny. Here is one that says 1 succeeded in talking over a distance of more than 1000 miles. As matter of fact we talked by wireless over a dis tance of slightly more than 45 miles. which was all we expected and knew we could do with the apparatus we were using.
 We were experimenting with brand new apparatus on which l began work only three months ago and which seems very simple and very practical. We did not intend it to work over big distances. It Was not tried over long distances: in fact, l knew it would not work much over 45 miles. The same type of ap-
 
 distances, but what we were after was not long distance records. but reIiabili- ty-reliablity first. We were very much gratified by the results.
 The first and severest test was 12 hours continuous tall<ing-not all by one man, of course. The 12 hours talk was provided by several men and a gramophone working in relays
 "The new apparatus is more practi- cal, simpler and less likely to get out of order than anything we have had heretofore.
 T think transatlantic telephony will be done soon. l think there is no i'm possibility about it. l have not tried transatlantic telephony yet and there is no foundation for the rumors so far as this company is concerned How ever, I expect to try the experiment of talking across the Atlantic some of these days as soon as l think the science is sufficiently advanced"
 Mir Marconi did not wish to be pinned down to any definite period within which he would engage to achieve the feat, but when six months was sug- SeSteu ne Sdlu ne thought something like that would be about right.
 The commercial possibilities of transatlantic telephony. I think, will not be nearly so great as those of transatlantic wireless telegraphy-at least not at present You see, at most we cannot talk more than 100 words a minute over the telephone, whereas we can send 200 words a minute by wireless telegraph.
 T suppose we could charge s1O a minute for talking across the Atlantic no doubt many a man would gladly pay it to speak to his best girl or his partner-but for most practical pur- poses wireless telegraphy would be chosen in preference to wireless tele- phony since the maximum speed of the telephone would be 100 words a minute as against 200 by telegraph. You people of the press would want to get over a lot of stuff to the other side in a hur ry. You wouldn't telephone it; you'd telegraph it, wouldn't your"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-18
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
Frost Ruined Peaches

The. recent frost ruined most of the peaches in Blount county" said Joseph Franklin, well-known official of the Lehigh Coal company, who spent yes terday in Birmingham.
 'i am told that one peach orchard man in the county saved his crop by us- ing 300 gallons of kerosene. Oil or tar smudges are always effective in keeping off frost, but only orchardists who grow peaches on a large scale are prepared for this sort of emergency work. The peaches I had on the few trees on my place were killed.
 While l am only an amateur farmer, I lave now a large apple orchard which will be bearing in two or three years. I am expecting to make some money off of apples.
 Farming in Blount has been very prof itable. The farms are in good eondi- tion, and much corn and cotton will be produced this year,
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-18
Call for Good Music

Tn few cities that 1 visit do l hear as good music in the cafes as MT. Klenk gives us at the Florence said man who spends much of his time in the north For a four-piece orchestra the music is excellent, MT. K1enk being him. self violinist of the symphony orches- tra class. His early experience, l believe, was in the Cincinnati symphony orches- tra, which has always ranked high.
 What I was glad to learn the other day from MT. Klenk was that interest in good music was increasing. He told me that while he had requests for some trivial stuff now and then, the great majority of requests are for music of artistic merit"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-18

statements in the press won for him an unenviable soubriquet
 Still, he-was a great writer, and for forty years contributed a daily letter of from two to four columns in length to the Chicago Tribune, Cincinnati Enquirer and other journals.
 He was the war correspondent of the New York World during the clos ing year of hostilities between the states and during the seven weeks war between Austria and Prussia, in 1866. His newspaper letters had a ready appeal for the average reader because of their human interest, lumi- nosity and gossipy style. If he did not found the modern school" of gossipy correspondence, he was pioneer in it, and no matter what he wrote about his letters were exceptionally read able.
 He lived for sometime in England,  where he lectured, and visited Spain to obtain data for his Life of Christo- pher Columbus.
 Mr Townsend erected a magnificent villa upon South mountain, Mary land, near the battlefield of Cramp- tons Gap, and ornamented its ap- proach with an impressive arch as monument to the war correspondents who died upon the field or while serv- ing in that capacity.
 His first romance, "The Entailed Hat" was well received, and Katy of Catoctin,"a novel dealing with the as- sassination of President Lincoln and the history of J. Wilkes Booth, estab- lished his fame as novelist.
 He also indulged in versification and wrote few minor plays Mr. Townsend was the last of the old school of writers of which Ben Purley Poor, Manton Marble and Lew Wal lace were opponents.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-18
The Federal Reserve System

] Now that the federal reserve dis tricts have been formed and the bank centers designated by the organization committee, the federal reserve board which must be appointed by the Presi- dent between now and the first of May, will make operative the new sys- tenn under the banking and currency law. Secretary of the Treasury Vii. liam G. McAdoo and Comptroller of the Currency John Skelton Williams are to be eX officio members of the board which will consist of seven. It may be assumed that the five to be appointed will be men of recognized ability and standing.
 The board will be presented with protests from Baltimore, New Orleans and one or two western cities, eX- pressing dissatisfaction with the re- gional lines fixed by the organization committee and especially with the cities chosen for federal reserve banks The full board will doubtless stand by the work of the committee, especially since two members which constituted a majority of that committee are to be eX officio members of the board If Baltimore made serious effort to obtain one of the federal reserve banks it kept quiet about it, for it was understood from the start that Richmond would be selected for the district which was to embrace Mary | land. New Orleans made an earnest effort, but it's fight was unavailing. It was the same way with Denver Kansas City was selected instead of the Colorado city
 The federal reserve board will have serious duties to perform in setting in motion and supervising the federal reserve system. The committee de- cided in favor of twelve districts, the maximum number allowed by law; but many financiers are of the opinion that the number will be reduced to six or even four. 1t is reasonable. however, to think that the board will 1 give the present arrangement a fair tpia1 Ra1tin,oro and tho otbor ,1,o testing cities will have to wait. As one of the New Orleans papers re- marked in opposing a formal protest when the people of the Crescent City organized an indignation" movement, ''It would be like a post mortem over poker hand"
 It may be a year before the new system is well tested. In the sec ond year it need surprise no one if the district boundary lines are consid- erably extended, and if Atlanta, New Orleans, Birmingham and Nash vile are all thrown into a region of which Cincinnati or Louisville is made the financial capital. In the meantime bankers and other business men and farmers-agricultur is to be especial 1 ly benefited look forward with lively interest to the inauguration of the system.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-18

NA< the twenty second Earl Of CraW- W ford, died in 1908 he had no chill dren and his vast estates descended to his sister, Lady Mary Crawford. But the earl had not been long dead before various claims were advanced to the peer age, one of them being preferred by a person of the name of John Crawford, who came from Dungannon, in the north of Ireland. This was in January 1S09 He claimed to be descendant of the Hon. James Lindsay Crawford, a younger son of the family, who had taken refuge in Ireland from the prosecutions of 1666-16S0.
 The claimant was clever enough after arriving at Ayr to not make his mission known until he had secured considerable amount of information respecting the family history. From Ayr he proceeded 10 visit tilbirnie castle, once the resi- dence of the great knightly family of Crawford Here he obtained some valu- able papers which he found in an out house. included among them letters writ ten by James Lindsay Crawford, whose descendant he pretended to be.
 John appropriated these papers and pro- duced them when the opportune moment came. His story and what evidence he had gathered together made an impress sion on the people in and about the vil
 lage, and through promises of what he would do when he secured the estates, he was able to raise considerable money.
 In due time the pretender to the Craw- ford peerage instituted judicial proceed ings. His advocates brought forward some very feasible parole evidence; but they mainly rested their SC upon the docu- ments which had been discovered in the old cabinet at kilbirnie. These letters, when originally discovered, had been writ ten on the first and third pages: but in the interim the second pages had been filled up in an exact imitation of the old hand with matter skilfully contrived to support the pretensions of the newcomer.
 This forgery was discovered and charge was brought against the claimant. and he and his chief abettor, James Bradley, were both brought to trial before the high court of justiciary in February, 1872, and were sentenced to IA years trans- portation. The claimant was shipped off to Botany Bay, and arrived in New South Wales in 1S13 During his residence there he contrived to ingratiate himself with MacQuarrie, the governor of the island,
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-18
General Trade Fairly Brisk

While one hears of complaint about business conditions in many sections of the east, general trade in the west and south is fairly brisk,' said J. c. Daffron of Chicago
 Tn some parts of the west business is as active as it was this time last year, and in most of the southern states it is better than usual, and that is saying a good deal In the north the souths agri- cultural progress is much reYarked. The southern farmers are fast becoming noted for their thrift"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-18
GREAT TRIALS OF HISTORY
TRIAL OF JOHN LINDSAY CRAWFORD

and was able to have part of his punish ment remitted, and he returned to Eng land in 1920.
 John immediately recommended pro- ceedings for the recovery of the Crawford honors, and, as his unexpected return seemed to imply that he had been unjust ly transported, his friends took encourage ment from this circumstance and again came forward with subscriptions and ad- vances. Many noblemen and gentlemen believed him to be injured and contributed liberally to his support, and to the cost of the proceedings which he had begun
 At last the case came before the lords committee of privileges, to which it had been referred by the King. Lord Broug- ham was counsel in the cause and he pub licly expressed his opinion that it was well founded. Many of the claimants adherents, however, were deterred from proceeding further in the matter by the unfavorable report of two trustworthy commissioners, who had been appointed to investigate the affair in Scotland On the other hand, MT. Nugent Bell, Mr William Kaye and Sir Frederick Pollock, with a host of eminent legal authorities, predicted certain success.
 Thus supported the pretender assumed. the role of Earl of Crawford and actually voted as earl at an election of Scotch peers at Holyrood Unfortunately for all par ties, the claimant died before a decision could be given, either for or against him. His son, however inheriting the fathers pretensions, and also apparently his fac ulty for raising money, contrived to find supporters and continued the case
 Maintaining his fathers truthfulness, he declared that his ancesor, the Hon. James Lindsay Crawford, had settled in Ireland, and that he had died there between 1765 and 1770. leaving family of which he was the chief representative. On the other hand, Lord Glasgow, who had sue ceeded by this time to the estates. in- sisted that the scion of the family who was supposed to have gone to Ireland, and from whom the pretender traced his descent, had in reality died in London in 1745 It was finally proved that a record of this death remained in London, and the decision of the House of Lords was that from the facts now before us we are satisfied that any further inquiry is hopeless and unnecessary"
 This opinion was given in 1899 and since that time no further steps have been taken to advance the claim.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-18

again next season, but among rats, rap-
 bits and squirrels the separation is per nianent, although among foxes, coyotes ana smaller animals the father, who pre- sumablv hates the worries of domestic lifc. usually stays away until the children have been reared and then returns.
 The third type of aismal marriage IS that common among wild geese, pigeons aud possibly owls. The union lasts through life, and if one of the pair dies the other never seeks a second mate, but nourns disconsolately until death.
 The fourth type of marriage is the near est approach to the ideal married life, and, curiously enough, is found most commonly among wolves. Wolves marry for life. and only the death of the one leaves the other free to. marry again. Furthermore there is even a genuine dis play of ehivalry and affection between such animals. 1t is recorded that two wolves in the London zoo were very jeal- oUs of each other and frequently quar- reled One day. during an unusually fu- ruus dispute. the male approached the female furously as if to bite her, but j 4st as he reached her he stopped as If held back by something within him. The female then approached umidly, licked his face and domestic happiness was once more restored.
 Marriage, 1t appears, is almost univer- sal in the animal world. Bachelors and slnsters are very rare, yet after the brief period of mourning is over, the be- reaved animal has little difficulty in find irg a new mate
 Perhaps the most interesting point in regard to this subject is that animals, like men, often have proved that monoga- my is the ideal married state. A polyga- nous race increases faster for a time, and produces offspring of apparently un- usual intelligence and development, but it is a notable fact that deer, which are most polygamous, are lowest down ia the scale of development, and are most seriously scourged by epidemic plaques. The great objection to polygamy in animals is that only one parent-the weaker-has the care of the offspring, and that at the death of the father se- rlous trouble often occurs among the survivors.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-18
TROUBADOUR AND JESTER
THE GRAPE JUICE PARTY.

THE GRAPE JUICE PARTY. Look out, Mr. Huerta.
 That grape juice navy's coming. Better take your hat off quick,
 Or you'll hear something humming. Look out. Mr. Huerta,
 That grape juice is fermenting. Better make that little bow
 Or son you'll be lamenting Look out, Mr. Huerta,
 To you that navy's scooting We won't recognize you, but
 You must do that saluting. Look out. MT. Huerta, Grape juice is effervescent: If it hits you you'll forget
 That you were ever present Look out. MT. Huerta,
 That grape juice isn't brandy, But when it's with Badger mixed It may come in right handy. Look out, MT. Huerta,
 That grape juice may be frothing; Don't think all this fuss and fume or ours is made for nothing Look out. MT Huerta,
 That nayys on the water; You may be a little fly
 But we've got the fly swatter.
 MORAL PERSUASION. Twamly: How many guns does it take to make a salute?"
 Swamby: That depends. Twenty-one is the full complement. but some times 1t takes an entire navy"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-18
PRICES IN SOCIETY

New York Dispatch to the Kansas City
 Star.
 New York society has become a pay as-you-enter affair." It's easy to get in if you're sufficiently loose with your bank account. The only objection is that the exit is precisely opposite the entrance The green millionaire he goes right in and turns around and falls right out again.
 Anyhow said MT. Jason Andrews of a smoky city in the middle west, that was my experience. I am through being a social butterfly. From now on I will appear only in my well known impersona- ton of the human crab. I wasn't in so- ciety long enough to get over shaking hands with the butler"
 Andrews, that isn't his real name, though the story is true, was approac ched by one of the "social introducers'' who have recently appeared here, following the example long ago set by London. It was explained that he could take his choice of four well known members of New York society as sponsors. They are regarded by the commonalty as million aires, but their cash boxes sound like a baby's rattle. Anyone interested will have no difficulty in learning the iden- tity of the quartet.
 "A dinner for 25 persons at which real leaders of society will be present. will cost you S0,OO0," said the agent. "A cam paign to cover the social season will cost $30O.O0O upward"
 Mir. Andrews ordered the dinner at $50- O0O, was rehearsed with his hostess so that he might appear to be on terms of i'm tmacy, and went through his part in a ruddy glow. For a couple of weeks he was rushed" Then it appeared that he did not propose to pay for a campaign against the social Notifications and he was dropped so hard that his self esteem was fractured
 These prime old waited millionaires."
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-18
school Censu. Population

Birmingham continues to grow rast. I believe that the biennial school census to be taken next July will indicate a total population of fully 2oo0Oo,' said local statistician.
 Two years ago 5000 children of school age were counted. which indicated some thing like 1eO.O0o There are many evi- dences of a greatly increased population fot
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-18
The Passing of Gath"

George Alfred Townsend, the great war correspondent who wrote under the pen name of "Gath,' recently died in New York city at an advanced age. He was never admired by the south and his extravagant and reckless
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-18
TOMORRow-THE DUBoURGE TRIAL

said Mir. Andrews. "are engaged in a re- lined form of the grandest indoor sport taking money away from folks who haven't had it long enough to get used to II. can't holler. I sold a rotary corn sheller to the steel trust for a rolling mill I"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-18

Three women wearing the new panta- loon skirt were arrested in Brooklyn for obstructing traffic. A busy thorough fare is no place to exhibit freak styles in womens clothes
The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-18
BEGINNING THE DAY--O Cod,

BEGINNING THE DAY-O God, heIp mo to he faithful tOdHy-iaith- full to task, to family, to friends, to all men, to God. Give me to Worh, to love, to live. as under Thine eye, and as waiting Thy word upon what I do. Help me to build today as upon my eternal house. For Cbrisfs sake. Amen.-H. NJ. F..