Decatur Democrat, Volume 50, Number 18, Decatur, Adams County, 5 July 1906 — Page 2

" MATCHES OF OLD TIMES. Securing a Light With a Flint Wan a Tedions Process. Few pe:so33 living today remember when the tinder box was a necessity. But these few are the only ones who thoroughly appreciate the convenience of matches. With the aid of a tinder box one sometimes obtained a light in less than two minutes, but if the conditions were unfavorable one might spend a half hour or more before getting from the reluctant tinder box the spark which would kindle the Are. The process sounds simple. The lid of the box was removed and a bit of candle stuck ia the socket. Next the flint, steel, matches and damper were taken from the box, one match being drawn from the buudla and laid ready for immediate use. Tire handle of the steel was grasped firmly in the left hand and the flint held between the thumb and forefinger of the right hand. Nine inches was considered the proper distance between the steei and the thifler. This was measured roughly in fee dark by placing the tip of the little finger on the rim of the box, spreading the hand upward and placing the bottom of the steel on the tip of the thumb. The flint was then struck sharply with the steel several times, obliquely and downward. The impact caused the steel to give off sparks, really minute globules of molten steel, at a temperature of several thousand degrees, and these, falling upon the tinder, soon set it alight The box was then taken in the hands and gently blown to cause the smoldering tinder to glow more brightly, and to this glow the point of a sulphur match was quickly applied. The flame of the burning sulphur quickly kindled the wood of the match, and it was then •asy to light the candle or morning fire. Although the process was not difficult for an expert under favorable cir'•umstances. it was at best slow and tedious. One might strike 100 modern matches, one by one, in less time. The flint commonly used in the tinder box was such as might be picked up in any flint district All that was necessary was that it should be so shaped that it could be held easily between the fingers and should have sharp, clear edges. These were commonly sold In the streets of London for a penny and are still manufactured in Brandon, England, for export to Spain, Italy and the east. The matches then Ignite spontaneously when struck. Originally a “match” was any substance which burned readily and slowly. The bit of slow burning hempen rope steeped in a solution of saltpeter, which the ancient gunner carsied in •rder to discharge his arquebus, was a “match.” It burned at the rate of about three feet in an hour. The old ■ulphur match was Intended not to produce but to convey fire. In Loudon matches were commonly sold by the poorest and raggedest class of street merchants, who lived in dirty lodgings in the poorest districts, where they made the matches, carrying them about in a basket for sale. Few houses with any pretension escaped without at least one csU a day from these venders as long as the trade lasted. The great difficulty was to find dry tinder. Naturally It was very ready to absorb moisture, and when allowed to i ) become damp the difficulty of obtaining a light in the morning was great. To avoid this trouble the tinder bo* was usually kept in a specially dry place. Often there Was a small niche made on purpose in the ati the back of the large open hearth place. Often the box was placed in the evening on the hearth close to the' fire and at bedtime was carried upstairs warm and dry and placed be«nath th a tallow , A minister of the gospel, according to this tale, was walking to and fro in a long passage that ran through the house and meditating upon his next sermon. There brushed by him a housemaid. He watched-her pass and enter his study. Fearing that she would disarrange bis papers, he hurried after her, went into his study—and no one was there. No means of egress was possible but by the one dooi through which he had seen the girl enter. He ra,ng the bell and—the housemaid came down from the top of the house, where she had been performing her duties. And the unusual part of the story is that nothing no one sickened and died. The young woman married happily. And yet that minister of the gospel is sure that he saw that housemaid pass him. Nor to *■ this day does his stout and happy matron know that she was ever in two places at once. Power of Word*. Words have not their import from the natural power of particular combinations of characters or from the real efficacy of certain sounds, but from the consent of those who use them and arbitrarily annex certain ideas to them, 1 which might have signified with equal propriety by any other.—Oliver Cromwell. Persistence. The way to reach or to attain to anything is to bend oneself toward it with all one’s might, and we approximate It just in proportion to the intensity and the persistency of our effort to attain it.—Success Magazine. Bulldogs a Menace to Health. The bulldog is a menace to health. We have this on the authority of a noted French physician, who says that because of his large mouth the bulldog is a great purveyor of disease, especially of consumption, diphtheria and the like, as the dribbling from the heavy, loose jaws is Incessant. Those who fondle bulldogs do so at a great risk. He traces many cqses of Infectious disease, especially among young children, to households In which bulldogs are kept as pets. When w«

Biograph lea ns a Stimulus. We cannot help living in some degree the liVes of heroes who are Constantly In our minds. Our characters are constantly being modified, shaped and molded by the suggestions which are thus IWd. The most helpful life stories for the average youth are not the meteoric ones, the unaccountable ones, the astonishing ones, like those of Napoleon, Oliver Cromwell and Julius Caesar. The great stars of the race dazzle most boys. They admire, but they do not feel that they can imitate them. They like to read their lives, but they do not get the helpfulness and the encouragement from them that they do from reading the Ilves of those who have not startled the world so much. It Is the triumph of the ordinary ability which is most helpful as an Inspiration and encouragement The life of Lincoln has been an Infinitely greater inspiration to the world than the life of Napoleon or that of Julius Caesar.—O. S. Marden in Success Magazine. Curea tn in. “I wish my husband w’ould not stay out at night.” said the little woman. “Cure him,” said her companion, “as a woman I know cured her husband, who used to stay out every night. Ona night he came in very late, or, rather, very early, about 3 o’clock in the morning. He came home very quietly. In tact, he took off his shoes on the front doorstep. Then he unlocked the door and went cautiously and slowiy up stairs on tiptoe, bolding his breath. But light was streaming through the keyhole bf the door of the bedroom. With a sigh, he paused. Then he opened the door and entered. His wife stood by the bureau fully dressed. “ ‘I didn’t expect you’d he sitting up for me. my dear,’ he said. “‘1 haven’t been,” she said. T just came in myself.’ ” Presence of Mind. Mme. Rachel, the great actress, was resting alone in her dressing room one night preparatory to going on the stage when a man suddenly entered an<L drawing a dagger, said he was going to kill her if she did not at once consent to marry him. The actress saw at a glance that the man was mad and meant wha| he said. So with the utmost coolness she replied: “Certainly I will marry you. I wish nothing better. Come with me to the priest at once. I have had him come here for the purpose.” She took his arm, and they went out together—to where there was assistance, of course, and the man'was immediately put under arrest.—Philadelphia Record., ’ • . Old Time Acting. * The old time actor had peculiar and primitive views as to elocution and its uses. I remember a certain old friend of mine who, when he recited the opening speech in “Richard III.” and arrived at the line, “In the deep bosom of the ocean buried,” suggested the deep bosom of the ocean by sending his voice into his boots. Yet these were fine actors, to whom certain young gentlemen who never saw them constantly tefer. The methods of the stage have completely changed and with them the tastes of the people. The probability is that some of the old actors of only a few years ago would excite much ' merriment In their delineation of tragedy. A very great tragedian ofa past generation was wont in the tent seen* in “Richard III.” to hold a piece of soap in his mouth, so that, after the appearance of the ghosts, the lather and froth might dribble down bls chin, and he employed moreover a trick sword which rattled hideously, and, what with his foam flecked face, his rolling eyes, his inarticulate groans and his rattling blade, the small boy in the gallery , was scared into a frenzy of vociferous delight!—Richard Mansfield in Atlantic. Proficient. When western lowa was newly settled the farmers in an isolated section banded themselves together as a school district and proceeded to choose one of their number committeeman. A log schoolhouse was erected, and soon a young woman came that way seeking a chance to teach. The committeeman was designated to ascertain her fitness. When the time for the ordeal arrived the public official was at his wit’s end. He had been examined himself often enough, but that was when he was attending district school fifty years before. The very thought of conducting. an examination himself, and for a ■ teacher at that, staggered him. He could not think of a question to ask. I The young woman sat waiting, and the old man teetered nervously on his tiptoes. “Well, now, Miss Burden,” he said cautiously at last, “kin you say the alphabet back’ards?” M’ss Burden eould, and did, “Fine!” cried the committeeman. “I’ll just indorse your certificate.” He wrote it thus: 1 “Fully profeeshunt.” A Great Stamp Forgery. The most colossal stamp forgery on ' record entailed the successful swindling of collectors throughout Europe in 1889. One day the French papers , announced that King Marie I. of Se- , dang, an island in the vicinity of Chi- ( na. was coming to Paris. As it happer.'J, this self created monarch an ex-officer of the French navy, and his appearance in Paris created con* . slde.-able sensation. As soon as his i majesty had been duly “advertised’ 1 t seis of seven different postage stauql - marked “Sedang” and bearing three! half moons appeared, and so great was i the demand for them that in less than a a month they realized 1,000 francs a each. Not until the king and his mint iaters had reaped fat fortunes in thi< i- manner was it discovered that the I whole thing was a hoax and the stamps h consequently worthless. A 4

BANKS IN A FIRE CITI THE PRESSING Nl-ED OF MONEY IN A STRICKEN COMMUNITY. Experience of n Chicago Financial House In 1371—Greed of Depositors and How It showed Itself—As Unexpected Pioposition. Whenever a great fire devastates a large city the first effort of those.concerned with the work of restoration Is to get the banks open so that the press ing needs of a homeless population may be cared for. At such times business is done on a strictly cash basis, and everything sells at a premium. The consequence is aa extraordinary demand for hand to band money, since the merchant can use the poor man's dollar to better advantage than the rich man's credit in buying supplies to replenish bls flame emptied warehouse. The struggle that ensues to übtain all the cash in sight is full of human interest. It has its picturesque features. On Monday, Oct. 10, 1871, when all Chicago trudged downtown to see what was left of the city, great crowds besieged the banks. Some men were crying, others talked incoherently, and everybody seemed half dazed. An officer of one of Chicago’s greatest banks, who fought his way through the smoldering embers to the white marble hall which surrounded his vault, gave the following description of what occurred: “Although the iron door of the vault had been somewhat expanded by heat, I found that the combination worked perfectly. That reassured me, and after hunting about the debris I fished out one or two Iron crowbars and by wedging them in finally opened the vault door. The inclosure smelled smoky, but I soon found that the cash was all right, and so were our books. That made me feel good, and I got down to work in short order. The first thing I did was to look at the balance sheet and see what our exact resources were. A glance showed me that by collecting what was due from out of town creditors the bank could pay everything it owed and declare a 10 per cent dividend besides, even if It lost every dollar* due from its -Chicago clients That was all I wanted to know. “On leaving the vault I saw four men waiting for me in what had been the cashier’s office. They were among our largest depositors, and I knew well enough what they wanted. They were of very different types—one a shrewd money lender who had $30,000 to his credit on our books, another was a school treasurer in an outlying district who would have been ruined had we not been able to pay him $25,000, a third was an out of town banker with $150,000 to the credit of his institution in our bank, and the fourth was a man who has since become one of Chicago’s greatest capitalists and who had alwayi professed his sincere friendship for me It was a trying ordeal and one calculat ed to make each of my visitors show the real stuff that was in him. A» events proved, this did not take long. “The little money lender grabbed me first. With a strange little wink he forced me one side and said in a half whisper, ‘Do you know how much I have in your bank?’ . “I said, ‘Yes, about $30,000.’ “ ‘Well, I will give you $6,000 if you .will give me the cash right away.’ “‘I won’t do that,’ said I. ‘Your money is all right, but you will have to wait a week for it until we get in shape again.* “ ‘What,’ he fairly gasped, ‘do you decline $6,000? That is a good deal of money in a city that has gone to destruction.’ “I answered no, that I would not, and told him in plain English what I thought of him. I said: ‘I am not knave enough to take your bribe and give you an unfair advantage over the other depositors, and I am not fool enough to do It, because I know as soon as you. discover the bank paid its claims within a week you would sue me for thes6,ooo. Get out of here right away.’ ” “That was the last of him. He took his money when the week was out and kept clear of the bank after that. Then the school treasurer came to me with a straightforward story of how his bondsmen were anxious to know how he stood. When I told him that his money was safe and that he would not lose a cent he burst Into tears, saying the was too good to be true. The out of town banker was also very nice, I saying that he did not care to withdraw his money so long as he knew it I was safe. Then the man 'Who has since grown enormously wealthy accosted me> with the remark that he had come down to see how things stood. That gave me a chance to test him, so I said brusquely: “ ‘You know how things are as well as I do. Can’t you see the position we are in?* ‘Oh, yes, yes,’ he answered hastily. ‘I don’t care about the fire. We are all in the same fix. But 1 want to know how you stand personally. Have you plenty of ready cash? You cannoO get credit these days, so if you need anything from the grocer’s you want bard cash. I brought you a little’— “With that the man threw open his coat, dived down into his pocket and dragged out a roll of bills as big as his hands could grasp. Then he straightened them out and divided thent Inta equal piles, retaining one himself and. handing me the other. He was dreadfully In earnest, but I told him I could not accept the money and that I . thought I could manage without It. I He assured me that whatever he had .would always be at my disposal That ' man has always been one of my best friends.”—New York Post. -• ” His Compltaent “What a lovely morning.” he said. “It is a perfect morning." she replied. 1 “True,” he said. “I haven’t seen any1 Bling this morning that Isn’t perfect.” And he looked her straight in the sacs. Then she blushed.

NOMINATED BY JUDGE ERWIN I L. C. Elissham Was Permanent Secretary of the Convention—A Successful Meeting. (Special to Daily Democrat.) ALEXANDRIA, Ind., June 28.— The Democratic congressional convention of the Eighth district of Indiana convened at the opera house here at 1 o’clock this afternoon and was one of the most harmonious and enthusiastic sessions of the Democrats held in the district in many years. Attorney James Caldwell of Winchester, was made permanent chairman of the convention and Lew G. Ellingham permanent secretary, all the editors from over the district being assistant secretaries. When Chairman Caldwell ordered the counties called for nomination, Judge R. K. Erwin of Decatur placed the name of Jbhn A. M. Adair of Portland, before the convention, his speech being a rousing one. W. H. Eickhorn of Wells county, seconded the nomination and at 1:30 o’clock, Mr. Adair was nominated by acclamation. Alexandria received the Democrats with open arms and the spirit shown at the convention was proof of the sincerity of the Democrats to give Cromer the fight of his life. Two brass bands enlivened the occasion. It was Democratic day at Alexandria, where the Eighth district convention for the purpose of selecting a nominee for congress was held. A good sized delegation -of the xVlams county faithful left here on the early Clover Leaf train for the convention which was held at one o’clock this afternoon, and was one of the most enthusiastic meetings ever held in the district. The coneention was the occasion of a demonstration by the Democrats of the district, as many aside from the delegates were present from the several counties. There were 108 delegates in the convention, apportioned as follows: * Adams .15 Delaware 19 v Jay -14 Madison 35 Randolph » 10 Wells 15 A county ticket was also nominated by the Democrats of Madison county during the day and several of the staje leaders of the party were present, including some of the men on the state ticket. Walter J. Lotz, of Muncie, candidate for attorney general ; Richard H. Hartford, of Portland, candidate for appellate judge, and Richard K. Erwin, of Decatur, candidate for supreme judge, were among those attending. John A. M. Adair, who was nominated for congress by (he Democrats of the Eighth district, is one of the best known men in the state. His home is at Portland, where he owns many interests, including the drug business, hotel and others. He is a banker of prominence in that city and a man highly respected.. He has served as representative for his district ih the state assembly, also as city and county clerk and has held various other offices of trust. For four years he has served as chairman of the district committee and has proven his ability as a man of sterling worth. That he will make a formdable candir date is acknowledged by everyone and it is believed he will represent this district in congress after the election next fall. Mr. Adair is well known here and his friends are delighted with his nomination. To be sn Attraction. Every fanner has dreams that some day the spring on his farm will attract summer visitors. Polish Editors' Mtofertwaea. Some Polish editors have a hard time. In a parting word to his readers the retiring proprietor of the Polish paper Gornolazak says that during the five years of the paper’s existence the responsible editprs have spent four and a half years tn prison, while $3,750 has been paid in fines. A New Version. I cannot eat the old foods. I ate so long ago: I cannot eat the potted ham, Because of what I know. I cannot eat the old foods. I ate so long ago; Because some one has told us things We never ought to know. —Detroit Free Press. > Narrow Escape. “I can cure you, I believe,” said the ■ young doctor, "but you must drink no coffee ” „ ~ , "I never do drink coffee,” Interrupted the patient . . "E-r. don’t interrupt me. As Iwas saying, you must drink no coffee but purest Mocha. You must drink a Ifctle of that every morning.”—Philadelphia Press. ———- * One Sort of Bird. “I don’tl ike Mr. Slyman,” said the athletic girl. “I think he’s sarcastic.” “Why so?’ ’asked her friend. “You know I pride myself oh my healthy appetite. Well, last night at dinner he remarked to me that he never knew any one with an appetite so bi "l' shouldn't call that ‘sarcasm,' but •hyperbole.’ He was probably thinking cl an. ostrichPt’.laJslp’.i.a r.’esa A

r’lN THE INJUNCTION SUIT . Permits Them to Build Tracks Across the G. R. A L Crossing at Monmouth. The Ft. Wayne & Springfield Traction Company may build their tracks , across the Grand Rapids & Indiana tracks at the McConnell crossing just north of Monmouth. In the Jay Cir- ' cuit court F-iday, Judge LaFollette 1 modified the temporary restraining or'■der against the traction company. About a year ago the G. R .& I. filed an injunction suit against the traction ■ company and the 'case was taken to : Jay county on change of venue. The ' G. R. & I. claimed ths crossing would ( be a dangerous one for both and in-i sisted on either an elevated or underground crossing. The defense was that the traction company, having obtained a right of way over the highway, can cross the tracks without the expense of tunneling or tressling, and the court so held. This is the last hindrance in the way of the traction ( company and the completion of the road will be pushed along with more speed *an ever; ’ What Yellow Means. „ Buxom widow (at evening party)— Do you understand the language of flowers, Dr. Crusty? Dr. Crusty (an old bachelor)—No ma'am. Widow —You don’t know if yellow meaiis jealousy? Dr. Crusty—No, ma’am; yellow means biliousness.—Tit-Bits.

1 i 811 l||| I THIS BOOK FREE I tlha. I: waß com Pilp< Iby a ret ired New England banker. Bl Just write your name 9 I and address on a postal —say “send a '' ‘ Mme your book” and it will take the next B I train back, postage j| I prepaid. It is one of the greatest little books IB I published this season. Order at once before they are gone. I look for a ? quick response to this offer. But one W book to each person —none to children. W | <tOur big men make “millions of L WW dollars” over night. It tells how. It B rXzsftJ, exposes fakes and stock swindles. B Tells you how to arrange for a life in- W ■-a come. Should be in the hands of every 11 man. Address GEO. C. PORTER, H 1 763 Broad Street, Newark, N.J. . 19

— T~, • WAS GIVEN* A GOLD MEDAL 1— And Promoted to Captaincy—Success of Former Adams County Boy. Eight years ago, George Bowers, a school teacher from this county joined the local malitia and went out with them on the caD. for Spanish war troops. He liked the army life and after the war joined the regular army. Soon aftreward he was sent to the Philippine Islands. After his term of service expired he remained in Manila, teaching school and later was appointed a sergeant on the city police force.' He proved a splendid officer and was advance to lieutenant. Today Theodore Moore received a letter from him stating that during recent uprising of natives in that locality, his company were called to assist in the fight and made a splendid record. For his valor, Mr. Bowers was i presented with a handsome gold med-' ' al and was promoted for his gallantry being made a captain. His Decatur friends will be glad to hear of his success—

' FEATS OF INDIAN MAGIC. Pawaee Entertainment — Astonishing Performances. T. H. Tibbles, vice presidential candidate on the Populist ticket ;n- 1904, has pased years and years on the frontier and among the Indians and he can tell some god stories about Indian magic, says the Omaha World-Herald. Here is one of them: "Once during the border days I found myself-camped near a village of Pawnees. The Pawnees paid our camp a formal visit and to amuse them one of our partj r , who was quite a prestidigitator, did some simple tricks with cards, etc. The Indians smiled and invited us over to their village next day, where they said they would show us .some Indiarf tri?ks. j "We went- The day wae fine and sunny and about noon we were invited out on the open prairie to see the tricks. as far as we could see there was no preparations whatever. We . stood around in a big circle outlined by the chief. “Finaly a tall Indian walked out into the center of the iring and harrangued the crowd for a few minutes. Then another Indian came over to me and asked if I wanted to examine a deer's head, freshly killed, which he had brought. I looked it over carefully It was all right. I was then told to take the head into the ring to the magician. “That Indiana didn’t have a stitch of clothing on, but on the. ground lying near was a red blanket I picked up the blanket and examined it. It, 1 like the deer head, was all right. I took a good look at the Indian too. “I then paced,out to the edge of the circle, keeping my eyes on the Indian and the deer head. “This head was an ordinary sized one and had two big antlers on it. And

that indian picked up that head, stuck one end of an antler in his mouth and right before us all gradually swallowed' it. . It took him five minutes to get it down, but it gradually went down his throat or somewhere else. But, remember, fie was entirely, naked and there was no place to hide it. “After finishing the’head the Indian turned around and bowed to the four points of the compass. And then, suddenly, there stood another Indian beside him. Where that second Indian came from none of us could tell. He certainly did not walk across the open circle. *. The second Indian reached down, took up the blanket from the ground and cast it over the first Indian. This blanket gradually sunk to the-ground a.nd lay flat. ’“We white people were beckoned to come forward. I picked up the blanket. There was nothing under it. The first Indian had disappeared, and in his place stood the second Indian, who was not at all like the first — — “Now all that took place right out on the open prairie and in the center, of a ring of whites and Indians. I had myself examined the deer’s head, had shaken hands with the Indians, had lifted that' blanket ■'from the ground. It was the greatest piece of magic I ever saw. “The modern Indian has, to a great degree, lost the power to do these feats of magic which the old-time Indian was wersed in, and the best he can do is a few sleight of hand tricks which can be done by almost any person." i, • :