Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 185, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 August 1917 — HAPPENINGS in the BIG CITIES [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

HAPPENINGS in the BIG CITIES

New York Military Census Redolent of Humor NEW YORK.—Those who took the state military census In this city have added considerably to their knowledge of the human units which make up the industrial fabric of a great city. The answers given to the question in

regard to occupation elicited some curious information. One negro who presented himself for registration on the lower West side answered that he was “the man who brushes off the gents after they have had their shoes shined.” Cross-examination revealed that this was the only gainful occupation which he had ever pursued In the whole course of his twenty-four years. He brought his whisk broom with him. Another applicant for a registration card at the same location also

brought proof of his occupation in the shape of a portfolio of pictures. He was an artistic photographer, he said, and after submitting- the portfolio as proof of his assertion he endeavored to sell some of his works to the staff of registrars until he was ejected. Four Greeks who came in together reported In answer to another question that they were the joint owners of one horse. The census blanks were very searching in their inquiries regarding the ownership of horses, mules, automobiles and such things, but apparently no thought had been given to the possibility of joint ownership of these accessories. The problem thus presented to the registrars was solved by reporting each son of Hellas as the owner of one-fourth of a horse. - Still another odd occupation whs reported by an applicant who gave his occupation as “handy man about the house.”

“Mary the Cooper” Prominent Figure in Boston BOSTON. —Do you know Mary? Mary who? Mary the cooper—Mary of Faneuil Hall Market district. Ask any man down in the wholesale quarter of the city who Mary Is and he will tell you all about the old, bright-eyed

{ltalian woman, whose eyes the joys of ihonest labor have kept sparkling, iwhose cheeks outdoor work has kept rosy, and whose healthy constitution a jcheery disposition has done much to promote. Mary earns her living—and a prosperous one at that, too —by scouring the market district for empty and broken barrels. With her husband’s aid she Repairs them, in their little :back-room garret down in the North end. She has every dealer, broker and

i lumper for her friend. Any man will tell you that there is not a more honest woman in the district and that every penny she earns she comes by honestly. Never has she been known to steal or try to “do” a person. You might well be surprised any day to see a barrel, supposedly suspended in midair, gliding down the street. Upon closer examination you would see that the barrel is supported upon the head of a woman—Maryon her daily rounds. Dodging in and out among the enormous trucks, peeping now Into this store, now into another, for a stray barrel, as she makes her way along the ■street, she is greeted on every side by a friendly: “Howd’y do, Mary? Got .good bpslness today? That’s good, Mary I” No man can put a storehouse to rights as quickly and make It as free from debris as can Mary. And to the question often put to her: “Mary, why do you work so hard?” she replies with a little shrug of her shoulders, as a smile spreads over her wrinkled face and a twinkle comes into her brown eyes: “No work, no can eat.” Mary, however, does not go unrewarded for her work. No market man ever forgets her, and every empty or broken barrel is put aside with a word: “Keep it for the ‘cooper woman.’”

Intelligent Bulldog Is Pride of San Antonio SAN ANTONIO.—Mack, the fourteen-year-old registered English bulldog owned by H. C. Flint of 316 West Evergreen street, first acquired citywide fame several months ago when he prevented a burglar from robbing his

master’s home. He has long been a neighborhood celebrity, however, his many less spectacular performances gaining him friends among people of all ranks of life, except burglars. Aside from being an efficient watchdog, as was demonstrated when he seized the burglar, who was escaping through the window with a bag full of silverware and cut glass, he has many other accomplishments. He herds .chickens as a collie does sheep, he brings in wood in the evening, and

ibrings in the newspaper and the mail. When all the members of the family are too far away to hear the telephone he calls them to it as soon as it rings, and on one occasion he saved the house from burning when he called his jmtstress into the room where the rug had caught on fire from the grate. Moreover, in spite of his age, Mack is an expert mouser. His intelligence is far above that of the ordinary bulldog, and his understanding of speech is said to be so nearly perfect that when people do not •want him to understand what they are talkipg about they resort to speNlng, as one would do with a child. Before getting into bed he carefully turns •down the cover. Mack’s favorite dissipation is riding in the automobile, and the fact that he has been in wrecks does not seem to have made the pastime lose any of its charm. Perhaps sose of his many unusual qualities can be traced to the •fact'that he was born on Christmas day.”

Mother Had Kept Demented Children Hidden PITTSBURGH Mvstery growing out of strange noises, like the bark of a F dog coming from the residence of John Sinziski, at 5408 Carnegie avenue, Lawrenceville, and the quefer actions of Mrs. Sinziski, who died In St.

Margaret’s Memorial hospital after .an Illness of two months, was cleared ■when neighbors entered the house to view the woman’s body and found two children, apparently demented, crawling about the floor. 1116 two children, both boys. were attired in girls’ clothes. John, aged fourteen, the oldest boy, crawled along the floor on his hands and knees, ac- , cording to *be police, and barked like a dog. The other, Joseph, aged nine, was bounding his head against the

floor, policewoman Etnel Cronin was notified and the oldest boy was taken to central police station by the detectives and placed in the matron’s department. The younger boy was turned over to the Humane society. According to the police, neighbors asserted that they had never seen the •two children during the five years the family lived there and thought that Steve Sinziski, aged ten, another son, was the only child the couple had. Steve was permitted tp [flay-outside. Policewoman Cronin says Mrs. Sinziski never permitted any outsiders to enter the house. The police believe that the woman feared juvenile authorities might take the children from her if their condition was brought to light. Because of the woman’s actions, neighbors •ay that the home was known as “The House of Mystery.” ,