Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 284, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 December 1917 — INTERESTING ITEMS FROM THE CITIES [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

INTERESTING ITEMS FROM THE CITIES

Why Girl Candy Workers Swore Off Sweet Stuff NEW YORK. —While Miss Therese Cohen of 233 Minerva place, the Bronx, was tasting the cup of popularity in the candy factory in West Thirtyfourth street, where she works, the ten other girls in that place were tasting

everything else in sight that looked big enough to contain a diamond ring. Later, Miss Cohen tasted the dregs of the same cup while the ten foolish virgins wrestled with the making of resolutions never, never to taste any horrid old candy for the rest of theii lives, so help ’em. It all began when, in the midst of the forenoon, Miss Cohen suddenly gave a Bronx shriek and announced hysterically that she had dropped her diamond engagement ring in the pea-

nut brittle or the chocolate fudge or the marshmallow creams which she had been stirring. Since she wasn’t sure which, she began tasting the pieces of candy into which the three brands had been molded., Surreptitiously at first, but later —when Miss Cohen announced a reward — boldly the ten others began nibbling and quashing away at everything on the big marble-topped tables. Between sniffles and tears, Miss Cohen announced that it was her engagement ring—and, of course, that led to more sympathy and more search and more nibbling. Through it all she was the center of interest —even to have lost a diamond ring makes a girl popular in the Bronx. And then, just when it seemed that the whole candy supply was to be demolished, the porter came in to ask who had left a ring On the window sill in the washroom and Miss Cohen remembered that she had taken off her ring to wash her hands after working up that mean old peanut brittle. That’s all there is to it*—except that not a single girl offered to walk home with Miss Cohen that night—which, considering where she lives, may pot be so strange after all.

Baby Plagiarizes Scene From “Immortal Will” DETROIT.— A charming debutante is the daughter of Mr. arid Mrs. George Cole, 698 Artillery avenue. Although it’s a harsh charge to place against one so youthful, Miss Cole is a rank plagiarist. Merely to create an impres-

sion with the young set, she went visiting Monday in a laundry basket. Miss Cole should be chided for dabbling in sensationalism that way. She should remember that a certain writing gentleman, Mr. Shakespeare, anticipated her by a couple of centuries. Mr. Shakespeare originated the laundry-basket idea in a show many years ago, called the “Merry Wives of Windsor.” He had Mr. Falstaff, a character in this show, do the laundry-basket stunt, and the old resl-

dents do say it was quite a hit. But even if it was not her own creation, Miss Cole’s tour in her mother’s laundry basket procured her a deal of public interest. IJer mother placed a basket of soiled clothes on the porch for the laundry man. In some way Miss Cole got in the basket. How she got there seems to be a mystery, but it is believed she became hidden in the clothes and w r as put in the basket with them. N Anyway the laundry man failed to see her and took her right away with him tri the laundry, and her mother was frantic with worry, fearing she had been abducted, and policemen were called to search for her, and oh —lots of excitement resulted. Her hiding place was revealed just as she was about to be dumped Into a boiling vat at the laundry. On her return home Monday afternoon, Miss Cole refused to discuss the Incident. She is three months old.

Jewish Refugees Reach America in Terrible Plight ' * ... AN ATLANTIC PORT.—With minds and bodies almost wrecked by starvation and other European war 89 Jewish war refugees from Palestine arrived here on a French liner. No brush or word picture could repro-

duce the story of.their escape from Palestine, subsequent to attacks by Turks, rescue by representatives of the joint distribution committee of American funds for Jewish war relief, their safe arrival at Berne, Switzerland and the hazardous trip across the Atlantic. ■ , With trembling bodies and eyes filled with tears of gratitude, they told their stories. They told of Jerusalem, a city once holding 65,000 Jews. But 25,000 are left—the others have starved

to death. They were four months going from Jerusalem to Berne. Many died from starvation and exposure while on the way. The few who made the trip successfully arrived starving, emaciated and half nude. Temporary relief awaited them at Berne, where clothing also was provided. En route, they were attacke'd by a band of young Turkish soldiers who stripped them of everything of value, especially clothing and food. Many of them have relatives in America by whom they will be cared for. Others will be taken care of by Jewish charity. At Berne, an additional 1,000 refugees are waiting to be brought over. Their first act on arriving on American soil was to offer prayer for their safe arrival; their first request was for food. The request was granted immediately by the New York members of the committee. To say that two million people are starving; that in the Lebanon alone more than 150,000 have perished of starvation and disease; that in Palestine the population of Jerusalem has fallen by over one-third since the war’s beginning, from the same causes, means perhaps very little to the horror-jaded mind But to have seen the naked children lying out in the cold and rain of the garbage-strewn streets of Beirut, crying out for a crust of bread, till even the Turkish officials could not bear it any longer and appealed to the American ambassador to send help; to have seen the thousands of deported Armenians, mostly women and children, literally rotting to death on the banks of the Euphrates, these were sights never to be forgotten by those that beheld them.

Wandering Ostrich Cleans Up City Back Yard SALT LAKE CITY.—John Stobbe of 3574 East Third street has an ostrich on his hands. Mr. Stobbe allows that it is some bird. At first it was generally Supposed that it had wandered away from Liberty park, with a panel of wire fence in its craw. The only dis-

ficulty about this explanation was that keeper found neither ostrich nor section of fence missing from his compound. In the meantime, the puzzle that his presence in the neighborhood provoked did not disturb the ostrich. He approached the back yard of the Sjltob- • be residence under squatter’s right. The yard was strewn with pears and apples from fruit trees. These he 'cleared up forthwith, along with such

pieces of broken dishes, knives, marbles, patchwork, tins and other bright morsels that appealed to his sense of things edible. Now the bird has settled down to watching for the falling of the apples and pears, unmindful of the decreasing supply on the trees. S. R. Lambourne, superintendent of the city narks said last nigh to that the bird undoubtedly belongs at the Wandemere resort. Insistence of many persons who telephoned to him that they had served the city by finding one of its ostriches led Mr. Lambourne to investigate when the bird had strayed. He notified the officials of the resort, but at last reports the ostrich was still holding down the outfield and Infield in ths Stobbe apple vrchard. , . ,