davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-01-01
s'BLACK FRTDAY'' IN WALL STREE T

Girard. in the Philadelphia Public Ledger 6T1HE big talk of the clubs and 1 among bankers, brokers and rict
 men generally is the killing made in Wall street on the Presidents peace message.
 Philadelphia was not let in on that deal Hence while the speculators here had a good enough Thanksgiving they suffered a miserable Christmas l In fact, not many folks anywhere got the bona fide smon-pure advance tip-a tip that was passed fortnight before the message came, with it's Lansing post script.
 That tip enabled very few blown-in- | the-bottle insiders to sell stocks on the high crest and buy them back last week from 10 to 50 points cheaper.
 Did somebody in the government leak?" Even if you knew who did it that 1 wouldn't put back into the pockets of the sufferers the tens of millions of dollars which they lost
 Not since Black Friday. 47 years ago last September, has such sinister shadow been cast by Wall street over Washington.
 If they realize what is going on upon this mundane globe, Jay Gould and Jim Fisk must be kicking each other around the Elysian fields as pair of amateur Wall street gamblers. They tried to corner the supply of gold in the early autumn of 1869 by using President Grants relations and federal officeholders. Instead, they got cornered themselves, and when the smoke of Black Friday" had rolled away Gould confessed he had made nothing, while his vulgar boisterous, libertine partner, Fisk, simply "welshed'' on his contracts, tremendous loser. Those Wall street meteroids lived a generation too soon They thought they had inside information as to what Grant would do, but he didn't do it that way.
 Gould began buying gold at 1892 He told Grant at a dinner on an Erie rail- road steamer that wheat would rise with gold, and so cause large exports of bread stuHs ana harvest Tor American farm CTS.
 Grant was no financier, but he coolly informed Gould that the general situation of the country looked inflated "and it might as well be tapped one way as another"
 What Gould wanted of Grant was to issue an order stopping the sale of the governments real gold, while Gould and Fisk speculated in paper gold.
 What Grant meant by tapping was to sell real gold. No wonder Gould shiv- cred.
 There was only s125.OOoOoO of real gold available. At one time Gould had s5o,- O0Oooo
The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-01-01
MISUNDERSTOOD RUSSIA

From the San Francisco Argonaut | 1EEW writers combine a sympa- lH thetic insight into the mental processes and manner of living
 | of an alien people with the abil-
 1 ity to set forth their observations
 with fairness and charm. The most
 brilliant books about other countries
 | usually come from the pens of those
 who have studied their subjects but superficially and who therefore are deeply impressed by what seems new and strange to them. In no field is
 this so common as that of Russia An American consul general in Pet rograd once remarked that the Rus sian alphabet was apparently turned upside down and that all Russian things must be explained the same way. And this is evidently the point of view of most purveyors of informa- tion concerning the land of the Czar Rothay Reynolds is of a differen. stamp. and we have to thank him for a book ('My Star Friends Dutton) | tAAeAS AaOS OAi1y uioPinyo hIlOWlcdS0 dul insight, but also is vivacious, enter taining. and full of charm. The au- thor knows Russia and the Russians well. He has travelled much in Rus sia, frequently with peasants and ar tisans, and has gathered information in conversation and discussion with all classes of people.
 One of the stories that are published concerning the Russian people and their rulers is that of the monk Ras- putin. And it is interesting to have some light thrown on this widely spread story by MT. Reynolds
 Even so short a time ago as the spring of 1914 ridiculous story about the influence. both at court and in government circles. of peasant named Rasputin. was widely circulated in the British press. We were told that this man posed as saint, where. as his life was one of flagrant inn morality: nevertheless he had been able to ingratiate himself with the empress to dominate the aristocracy and to wield such an influence on the Czar and the ministers that they made no important decision without consulting the adventurer and receiv- ing his sanction. Rasputin. we were informed. was the power behind the throne.
 Tt does not require more than a moments consideration to see ths stupid extravagance of this tale. Ac- cept it. as it was told in the columns of the newspapers, and you are in evitably led to the conclusion that the Emperor, the Empress. the cab.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-01-01

1 He had put the price up from 1S2 to 15O. Then he advised his dearest friend, and nearest business partner, Jim Fisk, to get in the sure thing game. which he did.
 | In his coat sleeves and brandishing cane the unspeakable Fisk, who had a private passageway from an opera house which he owned to his living apartments. declared he was the Napoleon of Wall street Then he boosted the price of | gold to 162.
 l The nation was terrorized by this open bludgeon work in the gold pit Gould own brokers sold millions of gold to any body but Fisks brokers. | Then the man on horseback at Wash I ington took hand
 | At around noon on Black Friday, when FIsk's brokers were vainly bidding 16z for $50OO,0OO in gold, new man stepped in and quietly offered s1,000, ,O00 Then an other million, again another million and still another million. That didn't look good to Fisk, who con- fessed afterward that he wasn't buying |
 Who was selling actual gold? Uncle Sam, by order of U. S. Grant. What happened to the price? It tum- bled in a few minutes from 1s2 to 1s5, amid the crash of scores of business | failures.
 one lost millions which he wouldn't pay
 
 and the other said he had about quit even.
 The sinister thing about the proceed | ings leading up to Black Friday was that Gould had diligently worked Grants
 Through that brother-in-law he hoped to tap the United States treasury de- partment and learn in advance what it was going to do. Grant ordered his sis- ter's husband to stop his gold speculation. Gould and Fisk were left in the position of the hunter who caught tiger by the tail. It was equally perilous to hold fast or let go. Had Grant carried out the programme which these spectators had mapped out for him they like the specu- lators of the present peace message epi- sode would have cleaned up. millions No wonder Gould said years afterward that Grant was a hard man to manage! When Grover Cleveland penned his thunderbolt in the form of a Venezuelan message an inside tip to Wall street would have yielded enormous profit. Stocks tumbled with a roar. But there was never hint that any body knew 10 seconds in advance what he meant to say to England Wall street got no change out of MT. Cleveland. Presidential messages rarely possess much quick action stock market value. { President Wilson's message last week had the biggest effect of any in a decade.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-01-01
Automobile Show

T am looking forward to an extremel interesting trip to the New York auto mobile show, which starts next Satur day" said Sterling Edwards. 'sThe show which is held annually, will be one o the greatest in the history of the automo bile business. The Grand Central paiac will be the busiest place in New Yorl during the weeks exhibition. Cars rang ing in price from S4O0 to $10O0O will b on exhibition. More than 800 cars of va rious makes, both American and Eu ropean, will be exhibited
 The show models will be presented u the public for the first time on the operI ing day of the exhibit. Each year innd vations in the construction and modelir of automobiles are placed before the pc pie at the Grand Central palace. Aut mobile agents from all sections of country will be on hand to see the nd cars. An automobile show of great mal nitude will also be held in Chicago at later date"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-01-01
IDLING LIFE OF A REPORTER

From the New York Herald.
 Those Columbia School of Journalism students who went on strike recently because they considered an essay on Journalism in Philadelphia too ardu- ous an assignment will probably seek a new profession after reading in the Herald yesterday of the quarter hours work of a Herald reporter.
 This reporter, who earlier in the night had recorded a dozen individual New York histories without threaten ing to strike, discovered a fire, turned in an alarm, blew a police whistle, ran to the burning residence, alarmed the sleeping family, carried a fainting ser want from the, fourth floor to the street, assisted the police in rescuing five oth- CT persons and then telephoned de- tailed account of all these happenings to the Herald office-all in 15 minutes.
 This incident is cited not to indicate that this Herald reporter is more dex- terous than other men in the profession but to give to the School of Journalism students an idea of the work real re- porter can perform when he has noth- ing else to do.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-01-01
lrRANGE. IRuE sroRY
q Chicago Herald.

ke CHlcdSO deTaiu.
 pathetic conflict of the Chicago
 Fro nanny to retain in her own
 Family the young white girl left with her in infancy by an artist mother is equaled in interest by remarkable episode which has just passed through the courts of Louisiana.
 Frank Joubert, manager of the New Orleans City Belt railroad, was at tackled on the ground that he was a negro. Suit was started to have his |name removed from the roster of white democrats. MT. Joubert contested the suit and denied that he had any negro ancestry.
 For hundred years the family had |been regarded as colored. Members had been marked "C" or Col" on the church registers and in the co1ored book of the St. Louis cathedral. The archives of the churches were scruti- mixed and learned scholars were em- |ployed. MT. Joubert went so far as to present as witness ex-President Car bajal of Mexico. Finally it was proved that the ancestress from whom the negro blood was reputed to have been inherited was enthusiastically an Indian woman.
 MT Joubert won his fight, which is having far-reaching consequences. A large family had been ostracised by the New Orleans whites for generations be- cause of this mistaken suspicion of ne gro blood. The victory and the dram atic evidence which preceded it are, according to a correspondent inspiring other families isolated from similar causes to prove their blood in court.
 The Joubert case is equal to any of the Strange, True Stories of Louisi ana" that George W. Cable wrote years ago. And one of them. it Is pertinent to all. deals with precisely this sort of subject matter.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-01-01
MOUSE,S FATAL CLIMB

Merchantville, N. J.-(Special to the
 Chicago Herald.)-A harmless little mouse came near creating sensation at one of the church services Sunday morning. The mouse started to roam around the auditorium and found him self surrounded by beautiful scenery in the midst of which he soon discovered a neatly booted foot belonging to one
 of the young women of the congrega- ton. Without moments hesitation
 he started to climb. The owner of the
 boot grabbed the mouse in the middle oft>his journey, getting strangle hold.
 She $xerted so much pressure that the creat1ra fell to the floor dead. An obliging usher removed the carcass. (Note: GFls name deleted by the censor.) s
The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-01-01

A Colorado judge fined man s1 pound for beating his wife. The wife weighed 100 pounds, which made the fine s1Oo. Even the man whose wife weighs but 90 pounds would think twice before mourning such a heavy expense.
 < * A man in the state of Washington must serve four months in jail for libeling George Washington. Wonder what would happen to person out there if he were to say that cherry tree yarn is yarn and nothing more?
 Eight of the 12 army aviators who started a flight from Hemstead. L. L, to Philadelphia completed the trip. That's not bad for United States airmen, but 1t would hardly win any applause in Eu- rope.
 Colonel Roosevelt is the only occupant of the White House who ever killed big game in Africa He is also the only Pres dent who ever went gunnng for an octopus with a pea-shooter.
 * x
 The European belligerents have con verted their cavalrymen into infantry men, but cavalrymen are still useful in Mexico for a bandit chase.
 *
 While scientists study the Structure of higher apes" great many people with out half trying continue to make mon keys of themselves.
 *
 None of the allies is more positive that the war must be fought to con- clusion than Russia, who has her eyes on Constantinople. < * *
 Carranza's refusal to sign protocol is characterized as an "800-word dodge by the Chicago Herald. However, Carranza is too clumsy in his methods to be called an artful dodger
 There is difference of opinion as to Mary Gardens exact weight, but none whatever as to Marys ability to stay in the spot light
 Spain is now convinced that the present is no time to discuss peace, although that belief was not shared by the Scandinavian countries.
 Now that the New Year has arrived, what are you going to do with it?
The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-01-01

met and the aristocfacy,h had, at a
 rate, temporarily. gone raving mad
 What was the truth? Ie Russia
 are accustomed to show respect
 those who they believe have lear
 the art of speaking with God. R
 putin was reputed to be man of
 tere life and those who had .reca
 swered. He came in the train of a bishop to the capital and . pious lady of the court presented him to the empress, who was impres4d by his simplicity and faith She liked him to pray with her and she liked to hear him speak of the things of God. When she was harassed and weary, the words of the gospel on the lips of Rasputin soothed her and gave her comfort. The peasant may have played flower of holiness may have withered ill the glare of publicity when trans planted from the country to the cap- 1tal. A courier. who had the privilege of speaking freely suggested to the Emperor that it was unsuitable to- allow peasant to come so often to court. The Emperor smiled indulgent- ly and in a blunt sentence, which [ cannot permit myself to repeat indi- eated that. for all he cared. a hun dred Rasputins could come to court if the empress found comfort and tra1l-I quility in their spiritual ministrations.
 should be as much inclined to ac-8 cept Russian tale of the influence of the late General Booth on the fora eign and domestic policy of the Brit ish empire. which an ingenious Rus- sian might have based on the amta - biltty of Queen Alexandra to the cre- ator of the Salvation Army, as the ro- domontade about Rasputin which was foisted on the British public
The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-01-01
MODEL APARTMENT HOUSE

New York Cor Pittsburg Dispatch.
 The upper West Side will soon possess two "model'' apartment houses, corner stones for their erection having been laid with ceremonies recently. Each house will be six stories high. The distinctive mark of the apartments is that there will be no public railways. each occupant go- ing to his apartment by stair con- structed in the open. One of these stair ways will be at each of the four corners of a central court in the buildings. By this method, the health of the occupants, it is believed, will be safeguarded. as there can be no transmission of conta- gious diseases by means of common en- closed halls. The buildings nave all mod ern conveniences with the exception of elevators, It IS the intention of the own. CTS to use adjoining property for recrea- ton center at present. and if the demand for additional model" apartments n made, they will be built upon this land.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-01-01
VIII Be Banner Year

'The dawn of the new year 1917 will much better received this year thar was last,' said Frank Jutz. While past year has not been the worst ou1 the last five years, it has, neverthe1 been just middling with the soutl states. Now that the south seems have arrived at the point where son the immense wealth of the east west is pouring into it, the peopleI optimistic and hopeful of the new
 T suppose there will be the usual Der of resolutions and the same ar| of broken pledges the next day.
 Years is one day which all mer women decide to do something revol4 ary or the opposite, and try to keeu& all the year; 1917 looks as if 1t the banner year for the south in gI and Birmingham in particular"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-01-01
On the Trail of
 the etMissimg Link

1ERAU LEONORE SELENKA of U Munich is now on her way to the Island of Teneriffe, one of the Cana ries, where she will continue her studies of the psychology of the ape.
 She hopes by her work to throw more light on the pitchecanthropus, or ape
 man, generally known as the missing link"
 Frau Selenka made excavations m Java, being assisted by the Dutch government which lent inmates of its penal colony. She makes the rather interesting observation that murder
 CTS are the best diggers, while thieves are next in skill and patience. Evi-
 dently she saw nothing humorous in the spectacle of human degenerates searching zealously for evidence that would establish their kinship with the 
 ape man, although as matter ot
 fact the space between themselves
 and the so-called missing link" was not as great as they supposed. The Teneriffe expedition will be financed entirely by Frau Selenka, who is carrying on the work as me morial to her late husband, Prof. Emil Selenka, noted student of the higher tapes.
 It is stated that the researches in Teneriffe will be conducted without
 the knowledge of the apes themselves, which is kind and considerate, to say
 the least. Even beasts are entitled to a certain amount of privacy, and if
 science is bent on proving their con- 'nection with the human race, it should
 be done in diplomatic manner. Aft
 CT all, we are not quite certain that
 the anthropoid apes would take any
 pride in the relationship. The way
 men are behaving in Europe just now
 is nothing to brag about.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-01-01
MARRIAGE AMONG THE wATAvET

MARRIAGE AMONG THE WATAVETA Peter MacQueen, in World Outlook for
 January.
 The Wataveta, among whom we stayed for few days, show the influence of the Mahometan Swahili and Arabs from the coast. Polgamy is common The wife costs one bull, one COW, seven goats and six jars of beer. The modus operandi of marriage is as follows The young man 8 father goes to the young womans father and says, My son wants to marry your daughter" The other answers, All right. if the young people wish it." Then the young folks talk the matter over father makes beer of bananas or maize in his house. The family of the girl come and drink for six days. After the sixth day the bull and the COW are taken to the home of the girls father Then in few days the seven goats. The want to get married. They reply in the affirmative This is the marriage cere- mony
 The honeymoon is spent in the home of the bridegroom's parents. The old folk go away for whole month and leave the young people in the house. The bride is not allowed to leave the house during the month At the end of that time the two mothers go and cut wood for the building of new house. the home of the young couple There is no chance for a man to marry wife with out conforming to these hard and fast customs
The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-01-01

By Wordsworth. There was boy; ye know him we'll,
 ye cliffs And islands of Winander!-many a time, At evening. when the earliest stars be-
 gan To move along the edges of the hills, Rising or setting. would he stand alone. Beneath the trees, or by the glimmering
 lake;
 And there. with fingers interwoven
 both hands Pressed closely palm to palm and tc
 his mouth
 Uplifted he, as through an instrument. Blew mimic hootings to the silent owls, That they might answer him. And they
 would shout Across the watery vale, and shout again. ResponsiTe to his call with quiverihs And long halloos. and screams. and
 echoesl loud Rsdoubled and redoubled; concouFss of 5ocnnd din! Aaa. when there daans paQQe f.s} N x< q k <, .s4 2,1 N <.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-01-01
THElRE WAS A BOY

Of silence such as baffled his best skifl Then, sometimes, in that silence, while he hung # Ai Listening, gentle shock of mild s5ir- prise ~ < ' x Has carried far into his .heart the vci6e Of mountain torrents; or the vlsible scene ;ss s assf: Would enter unawares into his mind With all it's solemn imagery its rodEe It's woods. and that uncertain hSoxetl received N ~ E f Into the bosom of the lake " This boy was taken from his mates, 6}1i died s In childhood, ere he was fun 12 y63r5 old.
 IPre-eminent in beauty is tho vale z % ' I Where he was born and bred the' churchyard hangs # 1 Upon slope above the vlllaEo ech001x 4 And, through the churchyard when ml way has led
 on summer evenings, I believe that th 1 A longx half hour together kaye nt
 Mute ldQking at the grave which
The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-01-01

distinct inspiration, and from civic point of view it will be revelation.
 Birmingham has entertained many national bodies within the last three years but if the musical biennial is the successful affair that is predicted for it, this city's prestige as con vention center will be immeasureably enhanced. It is up to all our repre- sentative people to cooperate in help ing to make it an unparalleled success.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-01-01
Boil weevil Frustrated

People in the Lee county sieee found way of frustrating to oeFh' extent the work of the boil Pner sel said Miss Mary Robinson, tead the high school. T spent the aseiiy mas holidays at my home in 'n 'iia' and I found all the farmers n An7 section in prosperous cond i eu boil weevil seems to- lhay 'neS oo 'o them little. Here's what 'ne pest avoid the worst effects e"ch Anoih- They go through the field 'oi squaies ing and pick up the co3 'ne "eeyii which have been eaten b ouiiu III this ana b.v. fo1,an 4 +h Ia the stalks way tbev manapa +o III and to bring of many of the weevils eo niih- the loss from this soun aVe iose some mum. Of course, they n l''ie' ! uT- from the weevil, but vel iariners III ders+and co,,rsraa ima"
 other counties of Alah Onlx
The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-01-01
HOTEL LOBl
Making a Teau


 Football prospects at the U Alabama for next year are ve aging" said V. Hugo Friedn uate manager of athletics. 70 ule for the 1917 season has alrd arranged and plans are now D mulated to make the season on most successful in our history.
 We will lose only few md our 1916 machine and together large number of new men, a strorJ will be developed, Our team il 1916 season was composed larg freshmen. There were seven fire on the football squad, the largest Der in the history of the school. Coach Kelley is working at the ent to produce a basketball team terial is not above the ordinary. think we will have 8 winning five. poets for our baseball team are fiji other words, Alabama expects a year in athletics in 1917.''
The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-01-01
COSTS MORE Tp HONE A RAZOR

From the St. Paul Piapeer Press. As further evidence Sf the futility of trying to dodge the evet increasing cost of living. it is interestinF to note that hereafter it will cost one pore to shave one's self. At meeting ON the Master
 Barbers' association it was fecided to increase the price of honing raEors from 9 cents to B cents. Homes Nhat for merly retailed at 60 cents now .cost $l, the barbers say.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-01-01
SUNNY JIM's" CREATOR TO WED From the New York Evening World.

The engagement of Miss Dorothy Ficken, daughter of H. Edwards-Fick- en. architect, to Frederick w. Gwynne, son of the Rev. pr. Gwypne of Sum- init. N. J., has been announced. Miss Ficken has been popular in the artistic groups centering in Washington Square. Several years ago her sense of humor inspired her to design the ad- verting device Sunny Jim" and brought her such notoriety that she has never shown any of her work pub- |licly Since.