Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 43, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 February 1917 — INTERESTING ITEMS FROM THE CITIES [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

INTERESTING ITEMS FROM THE CITIES

Denver Antitip Legislator Has His Troubles " 9 fXENVER COLO— Robert Harris of Denver, member of the assembly of U Colnrade,-4s fl -valiant man. Harris js4n-fl-busitress-that requires him to travel, and is therefore ebwHy-WMeed and sneh

In spite of this fact, he bravely rose *— tn-his ptace*tn the“Tasr legislaTure and introduced a bill against tipping. Immediately,, the legislator says, he was picked by the “Black Hand” for future consideration. He came to know the mark of the “Black Hand” thumb in his soup; to- find that meat .... juid vegetable, orders we/e not us freslias he had hoped they would be, judging from what was set before his neighbor or vis-a-vis at table; to dis-

cover that his room at hotels and wayside inns was ignored by pert and pretty maids. In short, Harris, the tip tllter, found how troubled is the life of the reformer. Nothing daunted, Harris Is going after the festive little tip again this session. He has prepared » hill which provides that all. keepers of hotels and restaurants shall post their rates, with and without tips. lor instance, rooms and tips, $5 and up a day; or. rdoms without tips, $3 and up. Steak, with tip, $1.25 for one person; steak, without tip, for one person, sl. Harris wears an exalted expression, as though what happens to him doesn’t matter,. ■ ~ ~

New York’s Police Dogs Help in the War on Crime NEW YORK. —New York’s police dogs are having a large part in cleaning up crime in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, and in making it a place where women may walk the streets safely late - at night without f earofannoy-

anee. The. vigilance and activity of the dogs have done much to rid this cozy settlement qf detached houses of tramps, idlers, and criminals. The dogs have also done much in Riverdale, where several were dispatched after a series of burglaries. The police department is devoting considerable time to the serious training of these dogs with a view to finding out to what extent they may be used in certain lines of police work.

There are 12 full-grown Belgian and German shepherd dogs in the department, and to these may be added a litter of nine German shepherd puppies which arrived at the kennels recently. A dog is assigned to each patrolman. Every night the police go out to patrol with the animals. The dogs wear large leather muzzles so that they may not bite anyone, for they are powerful enough to tear a man limb from limb. While the policeman patrols the street in front of houses he sends the dog to the rear of the dwellings to search through field, hedge and brush for marauder or thief. On encountering a thief the dog’s barking attracts the policeman. , The animals have their regular tours of duty to do, and are out on patrol for seven hours at a time. Sergeant Hickey says the dogs when on these tours often travel 25 or 30 miles, for while the policeman keeps to the highways the dogs investigate the countryside by running across lots for a distance of 300 yards or more, first on one side and then on the other side of the road. --

Chicago Has Minnow Shower Covering Two Blocks CHICAGO.— In the 1200 and 1300 block of School street weather talk isn’t the last resort of bored social victims. Weather is the one hot topic. Books and bets are being made on it. Not any of that easy phenomena like equinoctial storms or typhoons, either.

It’s a piscatorial shower that has fussed up the neighborhood. It rained fish in those two blocks. Citizens of impeccable veracity assert it. And they produced between 60 and 70 tiny minnows plucked out of the snow after the morning’s rain to prove It. The little fish were buried in the snow as if they had fallen a considerable distance. Little Robert Hellwig was the first to discover the “fish rain.” He

ran into the house with two or three minnqws he had found. When other chlldrenbegan to find minnows their eldets became excitedTanr'joined the hunt. In yards facing School street along these two blocks more than five dozen of the small fish were found. ■ Excited discussion developed as to how the minnows made their appear*ance. It was pointed out that the fishing season is closed, hence the improbability of “the shower” being bait thrown away by some Izaak Walton. One man advanced the theory that the minnows were drawn up into the clouds in some warmer clime and there held by density until their filmy conveyance was driven northward to dissolve tn rain over Chicago. Others reminded that it was an indisputable «fact, known to every boy, that it rains little frogs. ■ Prof. C. L. Mitchell of the United States weather bureau was asked about it. , , . - r “Bunk I” said he. “It doesn’t rain frogs and it doesn t rain minnows. 1 should say the fish got on School street just by natural finny affinity for schools —eh?”

lowa Man Bought Ticket for New York Hotel Room NEW YORK. The next times James Reynolds Barry leaves his modern, electric-lighted, corn-bearing farm near fled Oak. la., for a few quiet weeks in New York, he will come here prepared to resist the luring advances

of young men who halt him on the street and offer to sell him things. Such a young man, with a sense of in- . genious humor, sold to Mr. Barry aroom in the ClaridgeJiQtel for a week for sl<X Armed with a check which the young man said would admit him at once to a magnificent apartment, Mr. Barry strolled into the Clarldge and requested that he be shown forthwith to his quarters. - • --

As evidence of his right to the room, he presented a small envelope of the type used to inclose theater tickets. The envelope was sealed, and the clerk, with a puzzled expression, tore It open and brought to view a ticket to the Century theater which was something like a week old. Hamilton Burney, resident manager of t|fe hotel, watched the proceeding. “You bought that ticket on the prqjuise of a room here?” he asked. .“Yes, sir,” responded Mr. Barry. “I met this gentleman on the train this morning, and be told me that, because of the throngs in New York. It was very difficult to get accommodations except at tremendous prices. He said he had a friend who "owned part of this* hotel and. who got his share of its profits by rentifig a number of rooms in it. He said he had some room tickets and offered to let me have one for a week for $lO. I gave him the money, •and he sealed the ticket in this envelope. He looked so honest I never thought <to examine the ticket.” 4 .if g a smiled Mr. Burney. "Is it good for a show Y' hopefully inquired Mr. Barry. , “Net now.” ' ■ ■ "Oh, well/’ said the young man from Red Oak. “I got mine, but I hop< folk*back home never hear of it,” and he reglstered wearily. --