davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Omaha daily bee., 1920-03-07
Procrastina ation1 Proves to
Be Thief of Time And Aces
Pilot on Omaha Chicago Air Mail Route Almost But
<Not Quite, Makes the Grade-Everybody in the
A. E. F. Beat Him to- It-He Loses

How Fickle Fortune played with
him, nearly made him an "ace" and
then in sudden change OF mood
Topped him coldly, is told by Walter
]. Smith, who will be one of the
four flyers stationed here when the
Omaha-Chicago aerial mail service
gets into operation this month.
On the records of the A. E. F..
Smith is officially credited with
bringing down four German planes.
He needed fifth to give him rating
as an ace,
"And | might have had it. too"
he reminisces. Luck surely was
with me for awhile one day, and
then threw me down.
Il was patrollipg over the Amer
ican lines one afternoon. shortly
after | had accounted for my fourth
enemy plane Everything was quiet
and peaceful and l was sailing along
rather lazily, when suddenly from
above cloudbank there swooped
down on me six or seven German
combat planes. l tried to speed
away, but in an instant it seemed.
they were above and below Dne and
had cut off my line of retreat.
There was nothing to do, though,
but plunge ahead. / opened fire on
two enemy planes directly in N.Y.
Omaha daily bee., 1920-03-07
Politics Amt What They ].
lister Be, Says Uncle Dave
Eliminates Over Squabbles Back in 1896, When Free
N Coinage of Silver Made League of Nations Scrap
Mere Bush League Stuff
Politics amt what they uster be-"

Politics amt what they uster be"
A broad-shouldered man, his hat
cooked over one ear, and without
doubt chip on his shoulder, banged
open the door of Otto Meyers bar
Der shop the other morning, glared
at tile line of waiting customers and
bawled out: 81
TO hell with the league of ma
tiSns."
He stuck out his chest. There
was no doubt of hrs challenge.
But he didn't get ripple. So he
doomed out the challenge again in
louder tones. Nothing doing. All
eyes were glued to newspapers.
The boss barber looked around,
and spoke up:
@Comc in, Bill, and set down;
only six ahead of you"
But Bill didn't come in" He
seemed ia hurry. and, giving the
crowd a disdainful once over, he
slammed the door and left.
"A. gray-haired farmer, waiting his
turn in the line, slowly twisted a
piece Of newspaper, stuck it in the
stove, lit his pipe, and sighed. The
gang called him Uncle Dave.
"Times was" runinated Uncle
Dave. when some fellow would
have hit that chap with club for
airing his political views SO promis-
cuously. Member back in 90, when
we all got to shouting over the free
and independent coinage of silver
at the ratio of 10 to /? Them was
the good old times-fght Nn every
Omaha daily bee., 1920-03-07
Homing Instinct Of
.Neble's Ducks Almost
Make Him Indian Giver'

Sopllus Neble presented three
tame wild" ducks to County Sur
,veyor Lou Adams last Monday
when Lou was out at the Neble
farm south of Springfield. Lou
brought them in his Buick to his
home, 2o19 Seward street, and put
them in the chicken house.
The next day Mrs. Adams turned
them out in the yard. When Lou
came home that evening he couldn't
find the ducks. He searched high
and low in the chicken house, but
no ducks. Then he asked Mrs. Lou.
why, I turned them out in the
yard" said she.
"Neli, they're gone" said Lou.
well never see them again."
But he was half wrong. Gone,
the ducks were, without a doubt.
But that evening came a telephone
call from the Neble farm.
Your ducks are down here" was
the message. They arrived this
morning and are in their old PEN"
The ducks. (by the mysterious
sixth sense possessed by birds, had
found their way from the Adams
home in the midst Of the city to
me iNeble farm, 80 miles away. ;.
Il can't see why they didn't join
the big flocks Of ducks now flying
north" said Lou. "But they didn't.
They just went straight home, ar
rjving there within an. hour or two
after their probable departure from
my yard"
Omaha daily bee., 1920-03-07
You Tell'En

"Featherduster, who gave you a
"sleigh-ride," Police Sergeant w. G..
Russell challenged "Featherduster"
Butler. dusky Third ward character.
yesterday when he met that individ-
ual in a condition that suspiciously
resembled "a state supposed to be
impossible since certain legislation
accredited to Mr.. Harrison became
effective
i"Hainf no sleigh ride, Sahgint
boss" was the ready reply, "Ah's
got de sleepin' sickness, and she's
shos some mis'ry."
tWhad'ye'mean, sleeping sick
ness?" the sergeant demanded.
"Why, same as dat Pahreeshin'
dressmaker had,""Featherduster ex-
planned, "Dat Paul Pwa-ray what
had 10 days of it las week. Man,,
he had some dream seeing wimn
folks in nothin' but de skins OF an
cient grease. which no one else eb-
Der seen 'ceptin' dey was coked,
and otto-mobils what clumb along
lax snakes-on'y place outside OBJ
bootleg, and perfoom which All
knows he had t'git out of hop
pipe. Abs got de sleepin' mis'ry
FUN now onv'
Omaha daily bee., 1920-03-07

path and luck was surely with me.
Both of them dropped i'll flames and
outdistanced the other attacking
ships. Sound OF the firing quickly
brought up American planes and the
Germans beat it for their own lines,
Right then ! hadn't the slightest
doubt | had slipped into the ace
class by big piece Of luck. But |
learned differently.
Il landed, inspected my plane,
found it undamaged and continued
my patrol work until ! was relieved.
When l reported at headquarters,
this was the greeting got from the
squadron commander
We'll, you might>as we'll put in a
claim for those two German planes.
Every other flyer in the A. E. F. is
claiming them, so you've got as
good chance as anyone for getting
the credit.
"And that's the way luck turned
against me. If I had hustled into
headquarters Immediately, after that
air battle | might have put my
claim across and gotten an ace
rating. But those other fellows told
stories just as realistic as mine. The
didn't know whom to
believe, so they compromised by not
giving credit to anyone.
Omaha daily bee., 1920-03-07
II Bsce speaks to zze
1fQaz deyona. he IS txz
coukroZ. he Says ~=---

| After a few of the passes of the me-
dium's hands over the! table she an
nounced: =,
Il don't believe il. will move
again."
"All Hands Above Board"
The three mediums then placed
their hands on the table and the re-
porter was told to put his hands on
top of two of theirs. The lights
were switched off. All was perfect
darkness. The table moved. The
lights were switched on.
did it mover" asked the large
woman.
Eyes, it moved" said the reporter.
"Now we'll show you we can
make it move in the light without
touching it." said the large woman.
The table took another quick jump
across the stage. But the, reporter
had seen the. very material kick OF
very material foot.
Absolutely No Doubt.
did anyone see it mover" asked
the medium.
"Yes. youBet I saw it move" ex-
claimed the shocked reporter. II
saw you kick it with your foot"
mo, you didn't" said the man.
Il absolutely did. No doubt OF
it." came back the reporter.
Communication with the spirits of
those who have passed on may be
possible. At any. rate. the investi-
CATION showed that \ more people
than ever before are interested in
the Subject in Omaha.
Omaha daily bee., 1920-03-07
Philanthropic Habit 7
Of Judge Cooley Wins
Him New Avocahon

julius S. Cooley, dean of the po-
lice court bar, is kindly soul and
it has been his custom for years to
buy number of morning news
papers and distribute them among
the persons present in police court.
The Judge" came down one
morning last week with his armful
OF papers and began giving them
out with his compliments.
1t so happened that Tom Maher
was present in the court room and
to him the Judge" handed paper.
ME Maher looked at it and then
reached into his pocket and ex-
tracted 2 Genes which he handed to
the Sjudge."
mo, no, it's a present. Accept
It with my compliments" said the
Judge. amid the laughter of those
who saw it.
II thought he was selling papers,"
said Mrs Maher, who hadn't the
pleasure Of knowing Judge, Cooley
before that.
Omaha daily bee., 1920-03-07

street corner. and it kept the police
busy all day dispensing the crowds.
Even the wimmen got Ito shaking
their fists at each other. They
Didn't know what they were talk
ing about - God bless 'em--but
neither did anybody else.
But politics was politics them
days. Thete was something doing
from cock crow till bed time Men
would sop plowing to yell across
the field what the cross of gold
would do fer the country. Ths
democrats all bad Bryan's speech
pat, and the republicans would tell
EN- Bryan was nothing but wind
jammer. There was more broken
heads tina. year, | reckon, than any
other year they elected president,
and everybody had good time.
Now look at it. A fellow comes
in here and tiles to start something
and not man will open his head.
Same way up the country You
couldn't get 'em excited if you told
'em Johnny Bull was coming over
here to teach us how to play base
bail No wonder the wimmen want
in on the game. When they learn
the terms and get to calling each
other names. you'll see some hair
pulling! And I'm glad of it, if
the men are going to lay down on
tle job.
Huh! Me next? I want hair
cut, beard trim and shoe shine.
That's the, only way I know how to
start something out fome,a
Omaha daily bee., 1920-03-07
Even Steam Shoyels
Can't Reach Conduits
OF Telephone Company

When the Nebraska Power COM
pany's service was interrupted be-
cause some Of its conduits fell into
all excavation at Tenth and Douglas
last week. some of the old -timerss
at telephone headquarters chuckled
and shook hands again.
A little while ago they were per-
turbed by the activity Of, the Dodge
street grading gang. The big conduit
carrying the wires leading to the
north part Of town runs up Eight
eenth. How to get it out of the way
of Condcn & Bolen's steam shovel
was the problem. Temporary con-
struction to the tune of several tRou-
sands of dollars was figured out, and
a search was made for the conduit.
A hole seYen feet deep was dug and
no trace was found. but they knew
it was somewhere aboxt.
Dick Anderson, who has bossed
the job of putting up and down wires
for the Bell people in Omaha ever
since they had any to put up or
down, solved the problem.
WHeH lne Underground was
built UP Eighteenth street." he pro-
claimed, "the telephone company's
faith in the growth and expansion of
Omaha was so sublime that it could
foresee the grading of Dodge street,
and buried its conduits accord
ingly."
Examination of the archives in the
engineers Office proved that "Dick"
was right, as Usual. The top of the
conduit where it crosses Dodge
street was eighteen feet below the
surface and safe from the graders.
Omaha daily bee., 1920-03-07
School Head Decides
q She's Due for Trouble
Choosing the Winner

Miss Margaret O'Toole, principal
of Comenius school, believes that
the boys and girls of her Sixth grade
room will compare favorahly with
any other school room in Omaha in
the matter of personal cleanliness.
1t is almost traditional with this
particular room that its pupils are
cxemplars for the school. The class
this year is setting the pace for the
other children. They believe in the
efficacy of soap and water and
they know the value OF the tooth
brush. They hold that when but
ton comes off it should be replaced
as Quickly as possible.
A mother Of one of the pupils Of j
this room mas offered shoe. shinina
outfit to the child who attaina ths
best record before the) close of
school next June.
u wouldn like to Haze to decide
which onr should be- given the
prize" remarked the principal.
They are all so clean that it would
be hard to decide which one is the
best"
Omaha daily bee., 1920-03-07
By A. R. GRoH.

The large, stout woman with two
big diamonds on her third finger
made a few passes above the little
square table which suddenly took a
leap across the, stage.
did anybody see it move?"s she
asked the audience.
Eyes, you bet ! saw it move.
saw you kick it with your foot"
exclaimed reporter who had ac-
4 ccpted the invitation to go upon
the stage and watch the demonstra-
tion OF the mediums in large pub
lie place in Omaha last week.
The investigation he made in an
, honest quest for some real demon
strationsl of real superhuman forces
in Omaha brought forth nothing
convincing, but several things that
looked suspiciousy like trickery.
Omahans Greatly Interested.
The investigation proved that
greater number of people in Omaha
are interested in the possibility oi
communication with the dead than
ever before. The mediums are rush
edp with work 1t is profitable busi-
ncse, too. This is proved by the
handsome homes in which many OF
these people live and the costly
Jewels which they wear.
There is, however, an air of sim
cerity in their speech which would
have been convincing to the inyesti-
gator if it had been backed up by
any evidences ri superhuman pow
cr. They seeri to believe sincerely.
: But evidences were lacking. En-
gagcmcrts to demonstrate their
power were not kept. And the gram
mar of their speech in some cases
Omaha daily bee., 1920-03-07
BY EDWARD BLACK.

do you and your husband ever
have any family spatss" Mrs.
What's vHer-Name asked, when She
chased with gazelle-like grace over
to the Leffingwell domicile.
My man and | have arguments,
now and then. and he calls them
clashes Of opinion He said they
are mental stimulants. and ile told
ME that domestic life would be a
dull and dismal diet unless there
was garniture of words.
MY man said he did not care
how much argued, just so that ]
admitted it when he was right and
| was wrong; but when | was right
and he was wrong. he would not
admit it, and that made me cry, and
then he would tell me that he en-
joyed seeing woman have a good
bawl."
"Yes, Henry sometimes becomes
imbued with the idea that he has a
contribution which he Wishes to
make to the general fund of knowl-
edge" Mrs. Leffingwell replied"
and, as a rule, /, manage to soothe
him into silence"
About Old Hats.
"What | really came over for
was to tell you that was going to
wear my old hat this spring" the
caller continued, "and when / wore
it downtown and called on Mrs.
S6And-So, who clerks in store to
help her husband pay for their au-
tomobile, and / mentioned the old
hat to her, she remarked that a per-
son feels like fool wearing last
years hat and seeing other women
gallivanting around in their new
hats, and so began TO- think that
perhaps she was right for once, and
then | went and bought new spring
hat.
IF you wasn't so busy I would
stop to tell you that when returned
home and showed the hat to my
man and told him 1t was New
York hat, he said he thought that
| looked like vampire. Well, l
must be going before | wear my
welcome out"
Mrs. Lefingwell resumed her
culinary activities, anticipating that
Henry would return with his usual
appetite. She was aroused by the
sounds of unusual noises which
seemed to originate within the
house, and, as she could account for
the whereabouts of the children, she
grew apprehensive.
Caught in the Act.
The sound of a muffled football
and of rappings on a wall would al
ternate with disquieting effect. She
hal been reading much of late on the
subject of psychical research. Was
it possible that some of Henry's an
cestors had returned from the echo
less shores to learn how he was
faring in mundane surroundings.
She tried to dismiss the subject
as being perhaps fiction of the
Omaha daily bee., 1920-03-07
New Police Sergeant
Gets the Turkey Strut
With His Three Stripes

Yeah Bo! va 'oughtte5 see John
Coffey, new sergeant of police.
T'other day. he reported for duty
at Central police station all brassed
up in his new uniform. There was
quite a difference in his appearance.
His head was slightly higher, should
ers more broad and his spirit was in
time with that of a successful candi-
date for a coffee brewers job.
Leave it to Sergeant John for sue
cess. For 20 years be stood the
gaff of bombthrowers who didn't
want to be arrested; vengefuf women
folks@who for some reason riled the
police because they failed TO arrest
their husbands, etc. John says re
has stood enough of the troubles of
common trash."
Now he's an overseer Of battal-
ion of pohce that would do honor
in appearance and service to the
Shah OF Persia. Leave il to John.
Omaha daily bee., 1920-03-07

could come up and watch the DEM
onstration. The reporter went up.
The two women and the man sat
around the table.
MANY people have asked us why
we can't make the table move in
the light instead of in the dark"
the large woman, facing the au-
dience, said. "We will now show
you we can make it move in the
light and without even touching it. ;"
The table suddenly lurched across
the stage about foot.
did anybody see it," asked the
medium. Nobody gave any sign and
the medium said they would make
it move again without touching it.
But the reporter had noticed one of
her feet within an inch of one foot of
the table. He now leaned forward
and glued his eyes on the feet.
Omaha daily bee., 1920-03-07
Why a Horseo' Cried the
Cashier. Jesse James
Had One,' Replied Boegh

No one likes to cat better than
Hans Boern. hay FOUNDER on the
police force. He admits it. Ask
him. But he dislikes paying the
price of caviar for 'sahem" sand
wich. T'other day he ate calves
liver sandwich and some matted
eoulash at . soda fountain on Har-
nay street. Nothin' unusual in that.
he says. The pert "sody" clerk is
sued him cashiers check for some
t1ning between ~ and 81 cents, the
war tax plainly visible, Hans bel
siowed. n
thank you. sir" the blonde
s cashier remarked. T.
Iiana fumbied some with pennies.
theE 9rowled: "Ya oughta say
THANK ya!2 But / don't see your
horse" ~
my horse? Why xhat?" tie az
'11pnd haired cashier exclaimed.
Jesse James had one" said he
With ! grin. and szuntered out.
Omaha daily bee., 1920-03-07
Mrs. 'Leffingwell Has Her
Own Ideas About Exercise
Psychic Research Aided by Henry, Gives Her Shock
(. She's Not Interested in How to Live to Be 100
Years Old-Household Duties Come First.

| imagination, but the sounds inn
pressed themselves with increasing
emphasis on her mind. A gust of
wind from a partially opened win
dow set rocking chair in motion
and that added to the intensity
| of the situation.
She decided she would investi-
gate. Entering the front bedroom,
her almost affrghted senses were
given shock when she observed
Henry standing in the middle of the
floor, going through physical cul-
ture exercises. The source of the
uncanny noises was explained.
Lefiingwell had entered the house
unobserved and had slipped into
the bedroom where he proceeded to
go through, routine movements
which he had seen demonstrated by
health and happiness exponent
during the week.
Live to Be 100.
"I'm going to live to be 100 years
old" he blandly announced, while
his wife stood almost dumbfounded.
"Yes,".he continued, II have found
the fountain of youth at last.
Twelve minutes of this exercise
every day is going to make new
man OF me. And the Leffingwells
are going to join me after have
mastered the technique OF the ex-
ercises.
Zone is for the lungs. another for
the liver, another for the abdomen,
and so on. Coed cheer and regular
exercise is what we need. Less
meat and more merriment is going
to be the Leffingwell legend from
now on"
81 was beginning to think that
this house was haunted" Mrs. Lei
fngwell remarked with some show
Of temper.
"Treat EN- Rough."o
"Well, you will think that this
house is inhabitated by real live
spirits after we have followed these
exercises for a few months" Letting
well added. as he gave a few more
demonstrations.
What you need, Henry" his wife
replied" is a set Of exercises that
will train you to put some coal in
the furnace now and then. and to
take the ashes, out without having
the family pray that you will do it.
You might obtain some beneficial
exercise if you would sharpen my
knives"
"Say, pa. show ma how to- do a
handspring" Willie impertinently
remarked.
Madame Lehingwell," Henry
continued. "You need exercise to
bring the roses back into your
cheeks"
Henry Leffingwell," she retorted,
"you need wife. who would treat
you rough"
Omaha daily bee., 1920-03-07

large doubt in the mind of the re-
porter. very large. The demonstra-
ton starfed with short speech by
man demopstrator.
Must Be Intelligent.
'Christ done what was called
miracles in them days of long ago. .
said he. "Now our thoughts may
not be yours. But this is our re-
ligion. There is only one hell and
one heaven and that is what we
make for ourselves here on earth.
Ii the spirit is intelligent enough to
talk now in the body, why shouldn't
it still be able to talk after it leaves
this body?,
Have faith and you can see your
spirit friends come to you"
Al small, light table. was then
brought out, and announcement was
made that anyone in the audience
Omaha daily bee., 1920-03-07
he DEPARTED Spirits

was not such as to suggest that they
were possessed OF superhuman
knowledge. ~ ,
| Can you actually see the spirits
of people who are dead and talk
to them?" the reporter asked one
well-known medium.
"Why, most certainly" he said.
"My mother who has been dead for
years comes and sits and tall, to,
me just as I am talking to YOU"
I'VE don't see the spirits theri-
selves" he explained then, We sec
the astral body. It's clothed ia
clothes just like the person wore
only they're kind of gauzy mater
ial. It's the astral body"
Many of the mediums have as
sumed the titles of "Dr." and Rev
Great Minds Speculate.
All of this does not demonstrate
that there is nothing i'll spiritualism,
as reasoned out and demonstrated
by such men as Sir Oliver Lodge
and = Sir A. Conan DoyleI 1t is
a subject on which great minds have
speculated in many ages.
Are we not spirits" says Carlyle,
shaped into body, into all ap-
pearance, and that fade away again
into air and invisibility. This is no
1t is a simple scientific
fact. We start out of nothingness,
take figure and are apparitions.
Round us. as round the veriest spec
tire, is eternity. and to eternity min
utes are as years and 3eons. Come,
there not tones OF love and faith
as from clestial harp strings like
the song of beautifed souls?
Ghosts: There, are nigh thotfs-
Omaha daily bee., 1920-03-07
What Fools We Mortals Be!

] made me great works; I builded
me houses: | planted me vineyards.
/ made me gardens and orchards
and l planted trees in them OF all
kinds of fr;iit. l gathered me also
silver and gold, and the peculiar
treasure of kings and of the prov
inces. ] gat me men singers and
women singers. and the delights Of
Omaha daily bee., 1920-03-07
All Here Except the Names.

Washington, D. C., March 4, 1921.
Especial Spiritualistic Dispatch to
The Bunble Bee. .)-Prcsident
--- was .inaugurated today
at noon. On the special inaugural
stand in the shadow of the capitol
Chief Justice White administered the
oath of office before crowd such
as has never before witnessed an
inaugural ceremony.
President ---7 ------- - 77--'s address
was@.a message of America
first" in which he declared that
European nations must stand upon
their own feet and solve their own
problems.
The inauguration Of Vice Presi-
dent ------ ----- took place in the
senate chamber and was scarcely
less impressive than that of Presi-
Omaha daily bee., 1920-03-07
Council Passes Ordinance.

The city council some time ago
passed all ordinance providing a
prohibitive license Of SIS a month
for persons who profess to tell the
future for pay.
A leader in the business said there
are between so and Is persons in
Greater Omaha and Council Bluffs
who have the power of calling back
the spirits of the dead and convers-
ing with them.
The sight of the woman hiking
the little table with her foot at the
demonstration mentioned at the be-
ginning of this article put a very
Omaha daily bee., 1920-03-07
d6pn{bl8. a3 36eSRnzzzir}@5s !

the sons of men, as musical instru-
ments. and that of all sorts.
SO l was great and increased more
than all that were before me in
Jerusalem. Also my wisdom re-
malned with me.
And whatsoever mine eyes desired
I kept not from them. | withheld
NOT my heart from any Joy; for my
heart rejoieed in all my labour; and
this was My portion of all my la
bour.
Then I locked on all the Works
that my hands had. wrought, and
ol the labour that L had, laboured
to do. And behold, all was vanity
and vexation OF spirit and there was
no profit under the sun.