Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 266, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 November 1918 — TALES FROM BIG CITIES [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

TALES FROM BIG CITIES

Finds a Five Hundred Dollar Ring in a Giant Codfish _ SAN FRANClSCO.—Seafaring'men, friends of H. C. Daily, a fisherman who , has just returned from Bering sea, contend along the waterfront-here that Dailv is entitled to a medal with a palm or two on it, and for-two reasons.

i/uuj ao ruuucu w « »» r Either he is the luckiest man that ever went fishing, or he is. the biggest fishing trip Ananias in or out of captivity. But let Daily tell his own story. “See this ring?” he asked the other day of a small group of friends, at the same time exhibiting a solitaire diamond in platinum setting that had evidently been worn by a woman, and which was inscribed “From C. to JF.” upon the inside. “It’s a daisy, isn’t It?” was Daily’s next question, which he answered him-

self by saying: “It sure is, and ril tell ye how .1 got It. I was up in the Bering sea cleaning codfish at the rate of three a minute and paying no particular attention to anything else, when suddenly I picked up the biggest codfish I’d ever seen in me lifetime. He was a beauty, too. Fat? The fattest I’d ever handled. 1 “All right, mates. I plumped by knife into him and was Just about to pass him along when something shiny in his ’inards’ caught my eye. It was this ring. Yes, sir; this same sparkler that I’m a-sbowin’ you. “Now, lads; how’d that ring get in that fish’s'stomach? Whose ring is it, or whose was it, anyway? I’m willing to return the ring to the owner, but ownership must be satisfactorily established, as the stone alone is worth SSOO, a Jeweler tells me. Yes, sir, 500 beans—slmoleons—piasters. “I’m going to look up a brainy newspaper feller—if there are any brainy ones left, now that the smart guys are all at the front or getting ready to go there—and have him write a story about it, and mebbe Fll get a nice reward, antray, if the owner Is found.” *

Akron Deaf-Mute’s Experience in an Army Camp AKRON, OHIO.—One of the most interesting army experiences that has come from any training camp Is the one that has Just been reported of Hinton Wilson, a rubber worker employed by a local tire company, who for a month

was detained at Camp Shuman, suspected of shamming deafness to avoid conscription. Wilson Is one of about 500 deaf- 1 rhutes doing their bit in a factory, working on war materials that are helping to equip our armies in France. “I was registered in Atlanta,” Wilson said after his release, using sign language, “but requested a transfer where I was working. One night I found a squad of husky khaki-clad lads awaiting' my return from work, who

became incensed at my inability to answer , their questions, and unceremoniously hauled me before the examining surgeon. I was pronounced physically sound and the next morning was hustled off to camp, where the boys, taking their cue from the officers, regarded me as a contemptible slacker. “Fortunately a deaf brother of one of the boys paid a visit to the camp* and, after talking with me in sign language, assured my comrade? that I was deaf. Their attitude toward me immediatley changed and they treated me royally thereafter, doing everything possible to make things pleasant for me. “They waked me at reveille and usually connived to get me In the second rank at drills, so that my mistakes would not be so readily observed by the officer, and that I might have the advantage of imitating the‘movement of the £nen In the front ftmk. But occasionally I landed In the front rank, and I suppose I am fortunate that I could not hear the bawlings out I received from Z3cer “hVn-I marched blithely forward while the rest of the company executed a ‘right about face.’”

“Ernie, the Bug Shooter,” Now Eleven-Year-Old Thug tr ANSAS CITY. —The glare of the arc light at Twelfth and Charlotte streets,, Kt four years ago disclosed a small ho, seated on the curbing. His Chubb, tets his Ungers tugging at the trigger. The offlcers heard .

u»i!s gi aopcu u * V » w* » V. , o —- childish cry “Up hands— beetles! The boy smiled as a patrolman jerked him to his feet. Ernest Hardwick, seven years old, living at 620 East Twelfth street, with his “mamma and step-papa,” said he “wanted to be a hold-up mans.” Since then the boy has been known as “Ernie, the Bug Shooter.” In 1914 he stole a coat belonging to a woman neighbor. In 1915 Ernest was paroled from the McCune Home. Then inmost was arrested for steal-

box of candy. A month later he took three packages of tea from a grocer. And In another month he robbed a creamery company of several butter packages. His parole was revoked, but be escaped from the home. Ernest pleaded guilty the other day to and a cigar store. He was assisted by two other boys, Paul B. Buck, nine i j loiß Locust street, and James Swearingen, nine years old, 4342 pISTVP war Tonne" In the hack yard of 816 Locust street the Judge. •T,e got mow eenee thaf the. Send me to Jail. Judge, but don't be hard, on Jimmie and Pa jui? C SoSttcri o eenteu‘ild Bmdet to the, McCune Homo for four yearn. ,im "E™e”l' a^d W Mra P °sll&er““udh and i want to thank you ” “Gwan,” said “Ernie.”

Milwaukee Has Young-Amateur Probation Officer MILWAUKEE.— To be a probation officer one should lonst that was the Information revealed In Judge Karels juvenile conn -J3SL2? fourteen year, 018. faced the tribunal on a charge of

“a little too much authority.” It was charged he had punished Billy, ft ten* year-old boy. However, had Jimmie not repeated the process of punishing Billy the case might never have been brought to light While playing near North avenue and Fortieth street Billy spied a pile of cement blocks and not seeing -any one near he proceeded to smash up one of the blocks. That was. his sin. Jimmie, the ardent protector of

property holders’ rights, the amateur sleuth and probation offlcer. waa leaning against a post with his bicycle by his side. When Billy sauntered down, the Street, Jimmie rode after him. " „ T "My father’s a detective,” Jimmie said when he reached Billy. 1 _ saw you breaking those blocks. You must either go ttfth me to the detention home Ol ßut Billy was in fear of the detention home, so choosing the lesser of two evils he decided to take the “licking." He was to meet Jimmie the next day to receive his punishment At the appointed time Billy was there and ac* companled Jimmie to Washington park, where In a clump of bushes he felt 016 He'wa^fthen made to report with his reader. This time he was taken to a nond on the West side where,, after removing his clothes, he sat, according to orders, and read to Jimmie. However, his reading was not quite hip to scratch ” Jimmie said, and as a result Billy was tied to a tree and left alone. He was found by a schoolteacher and a complaint was filed against Jimmie. Jimmie was released on probation after he promised to behave and not take it upon himself to inflict punishment on younger boy*. /