davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-11-12

and removed $40,000 worth of the gold ard in it's place put about the same amount of buckshot which he had pro cured at the stores of Fairbanks for the purpose. He did not buy the shot himself, but sent some men from the steamer for it, pretending that he wanted it for hunting. After closing and fastening the box he carried it back and laid it down on the deck be- side the other box which he mad taken out. It was lighter than the ooX which had nothing but gold, but he expected to put the two boxes back into the strongroom. Before he was able to do so, however. two drunken men came aboard. They stumbled over the gold They concluded to steal one and pick ed up the lightest in which was the shot and dropped it over the side of the vessel. Later on they got it out and buried it in the woods. All this happened that night and while they were half drunk. After burying the gold they went to sleep. The next morning one of them grew frightened at what he had done and told the agent Of the steamship company about it, of fering to show him where the gold Was. In the meantime the loss had leen discovered by the men on the steamer. They came ashore and wen, with the agent to the woods and found the box. They opened it and To, it was fVC-fbirdG f1ll1 n remembered that Miller had been buv- ing shot and he was arrested. He de- nied having stolen the gold, but was convicted and sent to the penitentiary. At the end of his term he returned to Fairbanks where he was carefully watched. He had evidently hidden the gold he had taken out of the box. It is supposed that he succeeded in get tng it out of the country, but to this day no one knows how it was done
 Fairbanks has long since become a set tied community, but many of the cus- toms of early mining days are still in effect. One is the habit of nicknames. There are but few "misters' and every one calls his fellow by his first name or nickname It is John and Jim and Tom, Dick and Harry The nicknames are striking. Many of them are founded on the sense of humor that prevails every where throughout the country. One char acter here is generally known as the man who talked the crow to death.' This
 is a miner who talks so much that his fellows time and again have left him in disgust They did so one day leaving a raven sitting on the fence outside his cabin. As the story goes the man ad- dressed his conversation to the raven and talked to it until at last the bird dropped.
 Another man is known as "Short and Dirty" others .'Skookum Bill" and Sour Dough Bill" and fourth 'the Malanute Kid" The latter is noted for his fine malamute dogs. He has 20 on hand at this writing
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-11-12

telow zero. 1t immediately froze solid and as it laid there was found by an Indian chief. It was a long snake and the head had bent over so that it looked like cane. The chief used 1t IS cane all the winter, and he Is said to be using it still. He buries It in the prehistoric ice under the moss as the spring comes on, and when tho thermometers falls brings it out as | prop to keep him from falling
 And then the fish stories. Judge Wickersham, the Alaskan delegate to Congress, who lives at Fairbanks, tells me of a lake near the headwaters of the Panama river where he often goes for sport in the summer. The water Is as clear as crystal, and looking down over the side of the boat he can sec hundreds of fish swimming about Hs picks out the fishes he wishes to catch, cropping his bait in front of only the best. and pulling it away when a small fish or one of the wrong variety might swallow it. As I remember he could account of this careful selection and his desire for sport 1t takes longer.
 It is said also that when the women of Fairbanks go fishing, instead of dropping the flies on the water, they hold them at the end of the line, some distance above it, and wager as to who can make the trout jump the highest. Those who lose have to pay in tho sha pc of a luncheon
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-11-12

The home decorators are fashionng gor- geous pillows, in green with gold tasses for instance, or in purple silk or in un- usual shades of old and petunia silk, And if you escape without making a purchase you will have displayed won derful power of resistance.
 If books are your fancy for Christmas gifts. you might well pay a visit to The Favors Shop in Fifth avenue. Here are many original and dainty vol umes, all in exquisitely fashioned boxes and in marvellous tints. Clever gift verses are attached to all of them
 "The Orient Shop" graces Thirtieth street. It is distinctive and savers very strongly of that part of the world for which it is named. Only recently this shop has received a consignment of jew elry unlike anything yet seen in this country There are tea caddy novelties hand-decorated by the Chinese with lit tie ivory faces on the painted figures; tins of real "siu sin," in brightly tinted wicker baskets, hand-woven; miniature rice baskets for sweets and crystallized fruit jars "The Orient Shop has no du- plicate here or elsewhere, to my knowl- edge.
 Up in the second story of tiny house down in Fourth street, a place where you might never find your way unless guided, is 'The Paint Box The win dows are brightened by window boxes cut apparently without design, and splashed all over with animated coors. Designs in flaring wool adorn the curtains. It is rumored that that from this tiny shop which houses a wonderful needework ar tist many beautiful smocks are spirited away to dress and adorn concerns in the F'ifties. And there are soft hats to match these smocks which I have heard women call irresistible" Little boys suits are there and odd, square Tam-O' Shanters to be worn above the pink and white striped clothing for children.
 The Oddity Cellar is now called the ''Jolin Shop" It is in Fourth street also In it are all sorts of quaint, artistic boxes, and it seems to be the intention of the smocked young women who make anG sell the wares to emphasize the ri- diculous always. They take piece of wood, cut it out with hand-saw in your presence. daub paint on it, and then laugh-and you buy it gladly. They un- dertake practically everything in the way of decoration. If you want a smock just like theirs-all right they'll make it for you.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-11-12

of Nashville. Tenn. She has formed here what is now known and regis tered as "rhe Heart of New York Company" which. she states. gives an exclusive personal service to dis eliminating people" She has acquired a staff of expert guides who are cul- tured men and women, not sight-see- ing car "spielers." and the demand for their services is already heavy. She has established headquarters at No. 5i East Forty street, room 419. and communication to her will put an end to your worries about how to get to the right places, either for sight seeing, shopping or a general good time in the white lights. Her idea and plan are wholly 'new here and she is receiving many congratulations from her southern friends upon having hit upon a scheme which promises soon to place her in that class of people known as prosperous" even in this city of amazing wealth.
 If I have brought to your attention the sometimes unpleasant subject of Christmas shopping, at least you can now see clearly how pleasant it coull be made for you in Gotham. You need rothing-no knowledge of the cite, no sense of direction, no taste in se- 1ecting gifts, acumen in a business way, no ability to drive bargain. All these things will be taken care of for you. You need nothing-absolutely nothing-except money.
 In the Evening Sun of this city there's daily column conducted by q fellow named Don Marquis, who came from Georgia where he used to write for Uncle Remus Magazine" and in this column, which he calls the Sun Dial. he writes what he says are "artronymics." This means, when 3 fellows name or firms name and business jibe, as it were. he has some thing to help fill his column with. And I have often wondered why he never aptronymed the fact that over on Long Island there is firm called "Isetchum & Jagger," dealers in hard cider, and that the priest who officiates at Sing S.ng when prisoner is electrocuted is named Father Cashin.
 It was my privilege to participate in the subway accident election night when large number of people were overcome by smoke from the fire caused by short circuit I had al-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-11-12

got the title by wrestling with a tame and the Hungry Kid' is said to be able to eat at any time and to never refuse d meal. A very thin man is named the Evaporated Kid.' One Of 's friends says that he is a human string bean with the bean left out Eat em-up Frank tween Fort Gibbon and Fairbanks, where he has little potato farm, He is called Eat em-up' because when he gets drunk, which is often. he shouts that he can eat up any man in the crowd. He only weighs 100 pounds. Everyone knows Frank as 'Old Eat 'em-up." Step and-a- half Johnson has one leg shorter than the other. Nevertheless, he is fond of racing and can get over the ground faster than the average sprinter. He is said to insist that the race track be along the side of hill, where the slope gives his short leg the advantage
 Another striking character is Two step Louie Two-step got his title during LuC 6oiN tuSii dl La W SOil TIC W dS d successful miner, who was accustomed to frequent the dance halls night after night The usual charge was a dollar a dance, the man being expected to treat his part ner at the end. The story is told how
 'Two-step Louie once sold a claim for s5e0o, with the understanding that $500 Was to be paid in Alamander Left chips each chip meaning one dance. "Two-step came with the stampede to Fairbanks where he still continued to trip the light fantastic toe. It is said he would some times come into the dance halls here and pin one-hundred dollar note to the cur tain over the orchestra, telling the men to give the crowd a century's worth of Turkey in the Straw" The musicians would play two or three dances and then take down the note.
 These names and stories are vouched for by the people of Fairba nks, but l am beginning to doubt whether all the stories l hear in Alaska are true. 1 rave just been told one about miner at White river who had his toes frozen go that his feet sloughed off 10 the in step. The story is that the man had the toes amputated and was able to walk on the stubs with the aid of a rair of bears feet made into moccasins, inc bears claws taking the place of his toes. The man who told me this showed me photograph of the miner with his bear feet tied on.
 Another extravagant story is ZOO logical one. The people here say that Alaska is as free of snakes as was ireland after the advent of St. Pat rick. They say that the only snake that ever came into, the territory was enc brought from the outside in a bale Of timothy hay. This occurred about TWO years ago. As the story goes, the snake arrived on the edge of the win ter and crawled out of the bale when the thermometer was about 40 degrees
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-11-12

II A 1 1sTuR EDDITuR: poctur Lenard Keene

"A 7 lSTUR EDDITUR: Doctur Lenard Keene lNMWI Hirschburg rises and submits few breef NVll but Illuminating remarks consuming
 ersise in gennerel and football in perticuler, which air vastly nturresting the consuming pub
 nck Doctur Hrschburg is of the opinion that foot ball is as good for the publck who witness the as is for the players who partissipateand by heck
 we agree with the dock, exsept we would go little further and obsurve that perhaps it is damste bet
 tur The dock goes the theeory that the average citizen does not get enuff exersise-and that's rite, too-and that the specktatur of football game, just thro' seeing lot of hefty yung athaleets gambul ovver the gridirun and few persunnel trends ob- tain the bennefit of the exersise to practically the extint if they out theere going thro the performance themselves. That is what you mite call getting exersise by proxy, by absorption, such sociological prosess. According to the dock watch football game and then go home and eat up all the spare groseries in the nayborhood moor samer than if he had cut cord of wood The dock may be rite. I daresay he has givven the mattur moor thought than have, and far as football is consuTaa1 had rathur have my exercise the side
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-11-12

smaller places, and certainly you would not see in them, big as they are, all the Christmas oddities and articles that New York has to offer.
 For instance, in the East Fifties-I am not giving exact locations for specific reasons-you will find delightful little Christmas shop called "The Mistletoe Bough." You discover and open d little door in a round turret. The door is flanked by old English lanterns of wrought iron, and as you enter you seem to remember something that Dickens wrote, and you read a long time ago. Here you will find some of the most out-of-the- ordinary things in Manhattan. No two articles are alike. There are pieces of hand blocked velour, of a strange and shadowy effect, done by an Italian ar tist; there are odd, elusive and fascinat- ing color impressions; there are boxes of hand-tooled leather, liberty scarfs, lamp shades and cushions, portraits and still life scenes by we'll known artists; bits of pottery imported from Italy, and wrought iron and brass do-funies for the fireplace Ana a lOC more lnlnSS, Tar 100 numerous to enumerate herein. And when you emerge from the shop, you don't feel as if you had been shopping, but rather as if you had been making a visit to the world Dickens wrote about so often.
 ''The Sundial Shop" is in the East Thir- ties Here you will find work in antique glass, in old American glass, that is said to rival that of the Venetans. And you know the craze in antiques just now is for glass. Experts have travelled through out the country for the contents of this shop and have made many wonderful glass discoveries in the most obscure places.
 The Ark" may be found somewhere in Fourth avenue.' You will pass it by if you are not watching the numbers closely. for it is very unpretentious, and many New Workers do not know of it's existence. Here a little group of real artists presideS and there is a great amount of artistic workmanship which you may purchase direct from the work CTS. Some are mural decorators, some are specializing on painted furniture oth- CTS on home decora tions. You think, while in this shop, of what you have read of mediaeval art in Italy, when masters and pupils worked together under one roof. In the workshop the furniture painted in delicate shades and adorned with Bohemian designs, may be seen.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-11-12
STORIES FROM W4s OF THE YKQM==By Frank G. Carpenter

After some days the reply to go ahead came and the marshal got the money. In the Yukon territory the mounted police would have been on the job be- fore the murdered woman grew cold, and the arrest would have been made almost immediately.
 Judge" Erwin has had considerab ble experience in Canada, having mined gold in the T<londike before he came here l asked him whether they did not do these things better there. His reply was char acteristic:
 mounted police have no law they make one, settling small offenses out of court. Recently, when the OBrien murder case was on hand, the question turned on some broken teeth in the dead man S mouth. The corpse had been discovered mining camp of O'Brien. The police SUD- posed that the man had been shot in the mouth and his teeth thus broken Some of the teeth were lost. The police panne l the, gravel of O'Brien's camp and found
 
 the teeth. This convicted O'Brien That investigation cost tens of thousands of dollars, but Canada is ready to spend any amount to get justice''
 l went with Marshal Erwin through the jail in Fairbanks. The criminals are kept in cages or iron. so arranged that they can be see on all sides. There were nine in the cells at the time of my visit. I asked the marshal as to the crime of this part of Alaska. He replied:
 The territory is supposed to be full of bad men, but that is mistake The or der here is much better than in the south ern states, where 1 was reared. You cannot pick up Georgia newspaper even now, without finding in it a report of one or more shooting affrays. I have lived in this district for Il years, and dur. ing that time only one man has been killed with a pistol. There are but few people in the country who carry weapons, either openly concealed. The murders that have been committed have been with guns, clubs or knives. During my tern, of three years marshal there have been only two murders in my whole dis trict"
 Have you the typical bad man who now and then comes in and shoots u, the town?"
 ''No. I have been in Alaska IS years and have never heard of such case Our people are law abiding, and in thai respect they stand as high as any people of the world. Burglary is almost un- known lived in Fairbanks eight years before locked my door. The people will not stand for robberies. We have our strikes, but there is no bloodshed and no destruction of property.
 The people are charita ble. They often spend $500 or more to send a sick man away to Seattle, and they always give d little money to keep the man until he gets on his feet. As an instance of th, generosity of Fairbanks take the Sau
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-11-12
NUMBER 190

in short it could be used in variety of things quite successfully; but suppose wives took nosion to kiss theere husbands by proxy, one can see that system of this charactur could be easily in the ground. Husbands, of corse, have long ago adopted the proxy bzness in furtasions-blt when the vim min consider taking it up it becums grave mattur. On the hole. we cant say that Dock Hirschburgs idear is calculated to fill long felt want. We foresee variety of abuses it would be subject to if applied gennerely, and if confined exclusively to football. it is of little vaew for whothe-el wants play football ennyhow, eether by proxy or otherwise? Enny nut who longs for football can get moor quickly accommodated and perhaps just good results by hunting up a red-heded lrishman St. Patrick's day and obsurying cassuely-to-el with the Pope At this seesun of the yeer picks up the morning paper and reeds ovver the varius cas- suelty sts-t is hard for him 10 tell which is frum football and which rum Verdun.
 Dr. Hirschburger is all rong, Mabel. take it frum me, he has the rong dope. It can't be dun.
 Yours trooly,
 BILL VINES. Washington D. C.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-11-12

The Treasure Box in another Fourth street shop with just claim to the unusual. It is quiet and unassum- ing. Amid its eastern rugs and em- broideries you catch the faint odor of incense, probably from some smoul- dering ash in a bronze brazier Here you may find the best assortment of incense in New York and a splendid collection of sweet smelling stuff from, many foreign climes. If you want something different--sort of personal you know-you may select from 25 or more pastiles and coils and mix it yourself, which is very interesting There arg bundles of sandal wood, pot pourri jars of decorated clay filled with tne leaves of roses that once bloomed in France, or the lavender of some old English garden. There are silver rings, one mounted with a Cor can prayer bead, another with an Egyptian scarab and another shows a Chinese inscription and there are real brasses brought from Belgium by the refugees.
 AAiS ioPOSi"i VI QCI toHOp, III lnlrlN ninth street, is place where they undertake to fill any order you make from a piece of gas pipe to a white elephant and the presiding genius will assure you that the shop has vet to record it's first failure to do this This IS really remarkable place and Christmas shopping is made easy as well as very attractive and interest ing therein.
 It is now possible to get many more beautiful things from Italy than it Was before the war and in La Bot tesa," the Italian shop in Madison avenue, you will find many charmins g things which came from broken hom es in Italy-homes to which the masters will never return. There is priceles old Italian furniture; there are mir TOTS and pictures and soon q wonder ful. general Italian collection will reach this shop from Venice. Already you may find there throne shaped chairs of the sixteenth century, deli cately handpainted Venetian mirrors marvellous old Italian lamps. pieces of brocade and other articles that you will find hard to leave without purchas- ing.
 "The Dollar Shop" in Fifty-seventh th street, is run by two delightful women who between sales ride aboue in their own automobile, write magazine ar ticles or preside over charming tea
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-11-12
ashington, D. C.

ways thought how l would like to get into something like that, with it's splc ndid opportunities for heroic ac- ton, and all that sort of thing, you know, but when that sudden, under- ground darkness fell upon us and the smoke came rolling along I couldn't seem 10 remember anything except that MT Wilson might be suffering defeat even then, while ] was blind and helpless in the tunnel. So did my best to save him--f rushed mp to the surface as fast as I could but-we1l-- you know the result of the election though you must admit I did my best 10 save him under those trying cir- Chmstances
The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-11-12

Francisco earthquake The news of it was telegraphed here one Saturday. There was a meeting that night at Eagle hail and by noon the next day $20,Q00 had been collected and started on it's way to the sufferers. A month later there was 8 fire in Fairbanks and almost the whole town was burned. The people outside re- membered what we had done for San Francisco and offers of help poured in They were all refused, the mayor send ing this message: We thank you all, but we can carry our own skillet and don't need any help.
 It is surprising that there is not moro crime in Fairbanks. The city is in the heart of the wilds and it is surrounded by mining camps that have produced about $SO0O,00O worth of gold dust and nuggets. At times the banks have been it's bags of gold which are washed out al every cleanup. Gold is kept in cans and other common receptacles in the log cabins, and I have not yet seen house that could not be easily broken into and robbed Millions of dollars worth of gold is annually carried out on the steana- CTS that go down the Panama and up the Yukon to White Horse. The present method of transporting this treasure is old-fashoned iron safe which has handles on each side. The safe is lei. out in the open under the deck. the nar.- dies being chained to the mast.
 In the past the gold was kept in a were attempted. One day a sailor un- screwed the bars of the room and got out box of dust and nuggets worth $13,00O. He had a partner in the crime The two men tied rope to the box and fastened a life preserver to the other end of the rope. They then threw the box overheard, thinking the life pre- server would act as float and enable them to find the box when they cane back later on. They also marked with their eye the place where it fell. At the next stopping of the steamer one os the men dropped into the water and swan to the bank. He went back up the river and looked for the gold but could not li.,I it. little later the officers of the steamer found that the strongroom had been tempered with, and that one of the boxes was missing. They caught the criminals and took them to Eair- banks. They were tried and sent to the renitentiary. The life preserTer was att erward found by an Indian. The box of gold is still in the Yukon.
 At another time, about 10 years ago a man planned to rob steamer of one of the big gold shipments and came from the outside to do it. He got 9 job as night watchman on the steamc. end learned just how the gold wal handled One night he broke into tha strongroom and took out two boxes, each of which contained s60,o00 in gold Gdst. He pried opsn one of the boxes