davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1920-04-17
Please tell me something about ST..

Please tell me something about ST..
Rita?
st. Rita Of Cascia was born in Italy
in 1886. She was the daughter of par
ents advanced in years and distin-
guished for their charity Her great de-
sire was to become Nun, but in obedi-
ence to the will of her parents she
married a man extremely cruel and i'll
tempered. When her husband was muir
dcred she tried in vain to dissuade her
twin sons from attempting to take re-
Venge. She appealed to heaven, and
they were taken away by death. recon
cilcd to Coo. Having applied for admis-
sion to the Augustinian convent at
Cascia, and being a widow, she was
refused. Finally she gained admission,
received the habit and in due time
made her profession. AS a religious she
CXColled in modification and was wide
~ known for the efficacy of her
prayers. She died in 1856. and her feast
is cOmmemOrated on May %. On ac-
count Of the many miracles reported
TO have been wrought at her intprceS-
sion she received the title of the Saint
Of the Impossible. She was $Olemnly
CanOniZed May "a, 1900
The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1920-04-17

There is such a thing as the Ian
Gua&e Of the eyes: there are some per-
sons who are adopts at this art.
The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1920-04-17

WANTED-Young men to travel
with crew managers. Expenses paid
Call to 6, The Catholic Builetin. Els
Globe Bldg. At. Paul!
The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1920-04-17

NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. for priest
in small town in South Dakota. House
modern. Address s." care The Cath
Ole Bulletin.
The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1920-04-17

WANTED-HOusek expert
enced, good reference, to keep house
for Priest, house modern. Address
J. e., care The Catholic Bulletin.
The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1920-04-17

Trust the past TO the mercy Of God,
the present to His love, and the flu
ture to His providence-St. Angus
The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1920-04-17

WANTED HOUSEKEEPER-
wants q good hOuSekepeer at once.
Give references. Address ID. c., care
The Catholic Bulletin.
The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1920-04-17

What is the meaning Of the extreme
darkNeGc. etc, in the church during
the service on Wednesday,, Thursday
and Friday evenings of Holy Week?
All Ike services Of the Church on
these evenings refer TO the sufferings
and death Of Our Lord. The various
parts Of the divine office which is
Chantcd tell lis Of His passion and
death. The candles are cXtnguisned
one by one to Indicate how the Apos-
ties fed from their Divine Master
after His capture. The last lighted
candle is then removed and the church
is darkencd to signify the darkness
that fell upon the earth at the death
of Christ.
The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1920-04-17

OF what nationality is Pope Bene-
dict XIV?
He is an Italian, born in Genoa,
Italy, November p, 1884.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-09-19

ara Falls have always frowned on
any such attempts, and the chief
of police of the city promptly made
q statement that any one caught
making the attempt within the city
limits would be arrested.
Mayor Thompson referred the mat
ter TO the corporation counsel Of the
city for an opinion, and as result
of that officials ruling made up a
sort CT form letter to answer the
correspondents on the subject. The
letter reads something like this:
IL beg to advise it is the opinion
Of the Deputy Corporation Counsel
that any person attempting such a
feat Gas going over Niagara Falls)
would be Clearly disorderly per-
SON In view Of the above, the off,
cial granting such a permit, as we'll
as the We: son performing the feat,
woL..d De violating the aW."
{ early tie sympathies OF the
city administrator are against any
such feat being accomplished.
Mayor Thompson went out of the
way If official necessity in answering
his first inquirer for permit, Miss
Vernia Morrison. of 20 Bismarck
Avenue, Detroit, in sending her a
copy Of The Niagara Falls Gazette
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-09-19
The Coffee Peddler Arrives

hang half dozen tiny cups, some Of
metal and some of china. There is
i: jingle and a dash about the Turk
as he wends his way through the
c:oWd which seem to make his
shrIll cry unnecessary. One might
think that the cry was emitted be-
cause TIE hot and bubbling urn was
burning his back, bat he has too
good humored an expression for that.
Whether the contents of the hot
urn prove palatable stimuant de-
Ponds upon whether you have cult
waited taste for Turkish coffee. The
Turk responds to your signal. He
shifts his unwieldy burden more cas-
lily to reach cup and the spigot. A
little stream Of bubbling black liquid
falls into the cup, which holds only
q few thimblefuls, and then with
out any cream and only a speck of
sugar, your lips touch the coffee.
Perhaps you vince little, for Turk
ish coffee to the uninitiated palate is
the blacklist, bitterest substance
which bears the name of beverage.
1t is made Of coffee beans half
scorched, ground to powder and
boiled until hardly sediment re-
mains. You get all the coffee when
you drink it Turkish style.
In spite Of the shudder which over
runs you as the hot liquid slips down
your throat, the beverage is popular
on the East Side. This is evidenced
by the new customers who approach
while you are drinking. One is, per-
haps, a long bearded Jewish mer-
chant who has abandoned his push
cart momentarily ip favor Of little
refreshment. His great eyes glisten
as he swallows his drink, which is
concluded with grunt of satisfac-
ton. Then comes another merchant,
until soon a regular coffee party is
on. 1t all is taking place on the side
walk, or perhaps, when the party
becomes too numerous, it adjourns
to a doorway.
Within a few minutes the party
breaks up. The Turk collects his
money, washes his cups and con-
tinues his way, throwing behind him
the glitter of his shining copper urn
and before him the CHEEKY announce
ment that coffee is about to be
Starved.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-09-19
Italy the Home Of Ouakes

famous 1t is probable that the prop
| erty damage was not in as great a
proportion as the loss of life.
No quake Of any consequence has
since visited Northern Italy until the
recent one, hut it may presage dis
turbances of q similar nature tele-
graphed up to that section through
the successive stratas Of the Anon
mines, influenced by the powerful vol
canlc forces generated by Mounts
Vesuvius and Ltna.
In 1925 the scene OF earthquake
operations again makes its appear
ance in Sicily. The brunt of these
shocks is borne by the city of Pa
lermo and vicinity, which is on the
opposite side Of the island from
Mount Etna. The loss of 5000 lives
resulted, while many other thou
sands were rendered homeless. Just
SIX years later Naples had a sue
cession of tremors that reduced its
population by 1900, which IS indeed
comparatively small loss for the
usual earthquake of Southern Italy.
Things then went along quietly
enough in an earthquake way, with
the exception OF the many slight
tremors coming yearly to which the
average inhabitant paws little at
tentlon, until the year 1888, when
the Calabria district experienced one
OF It's worst quakes since becoming
the toe of Italy's boot" This dis
turbance was possibly caused by tho
nearness Of the volcano Mount Etna.
which is just across the narrow
straits Of Messina. 1t is recorded
that $4,000 people lost their lives in
this catastrophe.
twenty-five years later Mount
eesuvius evidently got in another
one of its telling blows by causing
severe series Of quakes in the
Naples district, the loss of life being
placed at 5000 and the property
damage correspondingly high. In
1885 Calahria again uttered a loss
of 1000 inhabitants from VIE. thev
considered r.i,.or shake. but the
more disastrous one following /. in
1857 increased its human toll to
10000.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-09-19

too much about it. Bobby Leach,
the one successful man, has been
quoted as saying he would do the
stunt again. He lives in Niagara
Falls, although he is not a native Of
it. But Bobby Leach also told the
writer that once was enough and
plenty. Never again for him.
A Gamble With Death
But if any one knows how the
stunt ought to be tried to have a
fair chance Of success it doubtless
is Leach. At its best, he points out,
it is a gamble with death, with the
odds far from even.
Consider the facts to be faced: It
would be utterly impossible to go
over the American fall because the
water is so shallow in the rapids
above and there are so many rocks
just below the cataract. This fall
is given as 1850 feet wide and 1877
feet high The chances are that
any kind Of a receptacle would be
dashed to pieces on the shadows
before it ever got to the brink Of
the precipice. 1t certainly would
not stand a chance Of remaining
whole after the drop of l67 feet
to the rocks, which can be plainly
seen, below.
That being the case, the only fair
chance is at the. Canadian or Horse
shoe Falls, wheee there are soYne
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-09-19
A Flood Of Requests
\ RENTAL. scenes on the
4 East Side have beer given
, az added exotic touch by the

~
" an added exotic touch by the
advent of d h.ou! !
Turkish coffee sellers, Who, dressed
IN their native costumes. thread their
way through the crowded, narrow
streets with huge copper coffee urns
strapped across their backs. Wher-
ever you may happen to be, if the
thirst for coffee attacks you, all you
have TO do is to hail one Of these
loud-shrleking Turks, and there, as
you stand in the middle Of the street,
or on the sidewalk, or lean against
one of the pillars of the Second Ave
nue. elevated, YOU may Quaff couple
of mouthfuls Of the amber fluid.
How the Turkish coffee sellers
came recently to invade the East
Side is unknown even to the deni-
zens Of that picturesque quarter Of
the city. Perhaps the war made
business poor in Constantinople, or
some Turkish immigrant, shrewdly
deserving the great number Of cafes
east of the Bowery, wrote to his fel-
lows at home of "a new field Of en-
dearor. The East Siders are noto-
r'ous,y fond Of coffee. And just as
they ike coffee. they like color and
glitter. The Turkish merchant is q
combination Of all these attractions.
II you saunter down one Of the
last Side streets, which are lined
On each side with pushcarts piled
%sh with clothing, shoes, hats,
groceries and every other article
conceivable for human consumption
or wear. you may watch how the
turkish coffee seller plies his trade.
IN the first place, he is visible among
multitude. He wears white cot
Ton suit and Is capped with a red
urban. Most conspicuous of his
outht, however, is the urn. It's cop
per exterior, bound in brass, is SO
alghly polished it can be seen for
blocks, and when the sun shines on it
" gl'tters like a searchlight.
On closer examination you will
mo that 1t is boiling hot inside, the
S'eam squirting out of little funnel
u the top, and a charcoal fire at
work at the base. Around the top is
= row Of small hooks upon which
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-09-19

u TALY'S latest disastrous earth
n quake has visited q district that
e usually suffers only minor
tremors put into motion by the
volcanic disturbances Of Mounts We
suvius and Etna. That these ex-
ceedingly active volcanoes are ex-
tending their fields of violence
seems assured from the fact that
Vesuvius is located we'll down with
in the instep of the Italian "boot,"
while Etna is still further south
on the island Of Sicily, just across
the narrow straits Of Messina from
the extreme end of the toe.
These last shocks confined them
selves almost entirely to Northern
Italy, extending from Florence, the
southernmost victim of the quakes,
to Milan on the north. But the
disturbances at Milan were more or
less mild, the great fluctuations be-
ing between Florence and Modena.
which is about half way between
Florence and Milan.
Southern Italy has been visited bv
numerous disastrous EARTHQUAKES.
the first Of which there is any reli-
able record occurring at Catania,
Sicily, in the year 1857, when Is, 900
people lost their lives. In 1856 there
were severe shocks in the vicinity of
Naples, statistics Of that day allot-
ting a total of 10000 persons to
its toll Of human life, while Sicily
was again the victim of nature S
wrath in the year 1893, when the
huge total Of 100000 inhabitants
paid the penalty for living so close
to Mounts Vesuvius and Etna.
Great tidal waves washed in over
the low shores Of the island and
added materially to both life and
property loss on this occasion.
Aouila furnished the ground for the
next momentous quake, with a loss
Of 5000, which seems quite small
when compared with previously re.
corded catastrophes.
We now come to the first record
OF an earthquake in the northern dis
tricts of Italy. severe disturbances
occurring in the Ahruzzi section dur
ing 17O6, exactine a toll Of $4,000
Lives and mach property damage. As
most Of this northern part 10 noun.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-09-19
''Crazy to Try 1t"

''Crazy to Try IT.
II am crazy to try It," Miss Nor
rison had written, asking for per-
NIT and wondering if the people of
the city would take up q collec-
ton" or something for her if she
were successful. Miss Morrison
gave her age as twenty-four.
Despite the official chill Of Mayor
ThAnpson's letter, it can be seen
that nothing very serious would
happen at the hands of the repre-
sentatives of the law if any one was
caught making the attempt.
1t would probably mean a pinch
and q IS fine for any one that tried
it, one of the city officials said
soto uoce.
There the matter stands at pres
ent. The police have not been over
worked at all in preventing folks
from committing what most natives
Of the city consider an extravaganza
form of suicide.
1t is a Significant fact that no
native has asked permission TO
navigate old Niagara. They know
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-09-19
THE steps down the side of
the cliff lead to the Gaze
Of the Winds, achere three
persons 1cere killed recently
by q slide of rock

heroism, such as shaving a man in q
lions cage, putting his head in q
lions mouth and doing parachute
stunts. But Niagara bested him.
Ambitious Get Busy
Then came the ambition Of others
to do what Stevens had failed at.
Nearly every one had a different
idea regarding equipment, from
variations of the barrel idea to that
of the man who could not swim q
stroke, although he had lived around
water (canaD all his life, and Just
hankered to do the stunt in a row.
boat.
Undoubtedly some of the letters
to Mayor Thompson were fakes or
practical jokes which the writer
played upon friends by signing the
victims name to the letter. But
most of them were in earnest.
One of the first letters came from
Thomas II. Whitford jr., of 1897
East Seventy-fourth Street, Cleye-
land, Ohio, railroad fireman, who
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-09-19

deep channels. Leach says that the
river is much more shallow and,
therefore, more dangerous now than
it was at the time he tried it.
Some idea of the shallow condi-
ton Of the Horseshoe Rapids above
the falls can be obtained by an Incl
dent Of few months ago. A mud
scaw broke from its moorings on
the American side several miles up
the Niagara River. There was
nothing to control it, and all at
tenpts at rescue were futile. 1t
drifted across to the Canadian side
at the parting Of the waters, a..
Goat Island, and made for the brink
Of the Horseshoe Falls.
Saved at the Brink
One Of the men on the boat made
an effort to escape what seemed GER
tain death and jumped overheard.
He was dashed over the falls, but
the others remained on the boat in a
forlorn hope. The crowds watching
on shore would not have given them
q chance in q thousand of coming
out alive. Yet, about $50 feet from
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-09-19
~ Turns N0toriety Seekers to Niagara Falls
Only Two Have Made
the Trip and
Lived

had been sailor and was not afraid
Of the water. Frank Lazar, of 367
Ludington Street, Buffalo, asked
Mayor Thompson for suggestions as
well as permission, asserting that
he was as game as they make
them"
Dudley O. Peterson, Of 533 Henne-
pm Aveuus, Minneapolis, asked per-
mission, suggesting that he thought
the stunt was feasible in q blown
OUT rubber suit Charles Ensign, Of
MEDINA N. z, &sked permission,
complaining that he had been plan
ming barrel long time for a trip
but Stevens had beaten him to it.
Leach Is Through !
Some still insist that Leach will
Try 1t once again. But he insists
that he will not Maybe he would
Ike to, but one Of the reasons why
ne will not is his charming little
daughter, Pearl, a child in her
early teens, who will not listen TO
talk of the possibility, even, and has
compelling way Of insisting thar
her daddy shall not repeat his ex-
plot Of nine years ago. She saw
that exploit, but was too young to
realize what it was all about. But
she was with her father the day OF
the Stevens fatality, among the
watchers on the shore, and now un-
derstands the danger.
According to most of the natives
OF Niagara Falls on both sides Of
the river serious thought of the stunt
is foolhardy, even insane. They
want none of it. No one of them
will be induced to make the trip.
The great cataracts are something
TO be enjoyed in scenic way, thoss
people think. Hundreds of thou
sands of people see them every year,
stroll along the banks of the rush
ing waters, explore the parks on
both sides as we'll as Goat Island in
the center of the river, enter the
Cave of the Winds, ride on the
Maid of the Mist, spend honeymoons
and holidays communing with na-
ture in its majestic splendor there.
That is ali very well. In that way
Niagara serves.
To be sure, Niagara has taken a
heavy toll Of human life. Mos, Of
that is through suicide. But some
cases were accidental. The story is
told of three men who went over the
falls about 1910. That is the first
instance on record of white men
losing their lives involuntarily in
that manner.
Since that time scarcely a year
has passed without some thrilling
tale of tragedy or rescue both below
and above the ca;ar Z. One of the
notable tragedies was that Of the
breaking up of the ice bridge on
Sunday, February i, 1912, causing
the death Of three persons. Within
the last few days has come the fall
ing Of tons of bouldcrs in the Cave 4
Of the Winds while si"ltse, rs were
underneath, taking its toll Of lives.
This is the first accident Of its kind
IN YNs,l% ~, fo%oIit;.,
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-09-19
7 He man In the center is
Il Bobby Leach, Who went
over the falls IN q barrel in
1911 and liued

carrying a full account Of Stevens's
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-09-19

the brink Of the cataract the scow
struck and stuck fast on the rocks.
1t is still there and can be plainly
seen from Goat Island. The men
were rescued by those on shore
shooting rope over to the boat.
There are variety Of reasons
why the water is more shallow than
in 1911, when Leach made his trip.
The chief reason is that a large
amount is being diverted for power
purposes, not only actually at
Niagara Falls, but from Lake Mich
igan, so that the volume Of water is
not as great.
But even with the comparatively
shallow water there still is mod
erately good chance, in the opinion
of Bobby Leach, of some one success
fully navigating the Horseshoe Fall.
The latter is said to be about $500
feet wide, following the contour line,
and 15s feet deep. Besides having
the advantage Of the deep channel
above the brink it also has a deep
pool at the bottom in which to drop.
A Series of Rubber Balls
The equipment, Leach says, should
consist Of series of gigantic rubber
balls. one within tic other, with the
man or woman who attempts TIE
feat In the inner ball. This material
would have to be especially con-
structed TO provide the utmost
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-09-19
Lost Interest In II

After that exploit interest died IN
the feat. 1t had been done by a
man and woman and had de-
scended to the realm Of things com
mon in human ken.
After that exploit by Leach no
other serious attempt was made to
70 through what the Indians used
to call the Thunderer of the Waters
until Charles g. Stevens. Of Bristol,
England, tried it few weeks ago.
Stevens failed. His body has never
been recovered.
Promptly upon the news Of the
tragedy resulting from Stevens's
attempt men and women In nearly
all of the large cities Of the coun-
try seemed filed with the desire to
90 the Englshman one better. The
failure attracted far more real
attention than Stevens's SUCCESS
would have done.
1t seems that Stevens was pos
sessed Of great fear that he would
be arrested by the Canadian authori-
ties before he had u chance to make
his attempt. lie Travelled by autorno-
bile from Toronto to Hamilton, Ont,
registered under an assumed name
in q hotel in the latter city, in
sisted OF members of his party walk
ing on the opposite side Of the street
from him when he went out, so as
not TO attract attention, and so on.
Because Of that fear on the part
Of Stevens, who had not the slight
est visible fear of the trip over the
falls, newspapers naturally played
that up, and the idea that the au-
thorities would prevent any at
tempt to accomplish the stunt be-
came fixed in the minds of large
number " people.
A Flood of Requests
The result was that in almost the
next mail after the news Of the
Stevens tragedy was published,
Mayor Maxwell NJ. Thompson, of
Niagara rails, began TO receive let
ters asking permission to go over
the falls.
The officials of the City Of Mag
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-09-19

CHARLES STEVENS en-
te71ng the barrel In which
he hoped TO 90 over the falls
safely. A small piece of the
barrel is all that has been
fond
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-09-19
THE rapids 6e}o1r the falls,
- Only less ter1Uylng than
the ta!ls themselves

strength and res.lIoncy. 1t would
not easily snag or be destroyed on
rocks if it should get out Of the
channel above the cataract and its
reslllency with the tons of water
racing at the speed Of an express
train behind it would serve also to
toss it far out into the deep pool
with the least possible chance of dis
aster.
Most Of those who were eyewit-
nesses Of the Stevens disaster, in
Guiding Bobby Leach, say that it
because Of the poor equipment.
Stevens himself was supremely
happy and confident in the attempt
and would let nothing dissuade him
from it.
Pieces of the Barrel
Stevens's barrel, according to his
directions, was towed out into the
river with motor boat and cast
adrift about three miles above the
falls. In about forty-tive minutes
watchers on shore saw his cask dis
appear in the spray as it went over
the brink. All that was ever found
were pieces of the barrel.
The barrel, it is said, vas so
poorly constructed that one of the
steel hoops fell off before Stevens
entered it and was not replaced. 1t
seems that they were simply driven
on the slaves Of Russian oak and
had nothing but the pressure to hold,
them in place. Stevens wore a
padded suit and had lead weights
strapped to his feet to keep the
barrel in an upright position.
Stevens was fifty-eight years old
and was barber by trade. He left
wife and large family In Bristol,
England. Stunts where danger pre-
dominated had been his speciality
throughout his whole life. He
claimed to have lied about his age
to get into the war and won three
war medals. In addition to that he
had nine others for various deeds Of