Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 1, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 January 1919 — HAPPENINGS in the CITIES [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

HAPPENINGS in the CITIES

Bert and Bertha Spring a Surprise on the Police f”' !•■• ■ ■ ' * • * ‘ _ *. '—— ST. LOUlS.—Somebody became suspicious of Bert Schmidt.- He was reported to the police as a provable German spy. The police looked him up and found that he was a young fellow of twenty-three,-living, with a wife

to whom he was married October 12 by a justice of the peace. The Schmidt establishment, looked all right W the police, but they put Schmidt under arrest. The police were in for a surprise. At the police station Bert stoutly maintained that he was all right. He produced a registration card. He said he was a Hungarian by birth, but a good American and willing to do his bit. About this time it was discovered that

thougbßort might be a good American 7.7” ~7_: „ lie was an American woman, not an American man. Thereupon t e po ce became more interested In the woman phase of the case than, in the spy business. They arrested the “wife” and then held an informal, court to clear up the mystery. Policemen are just as curious as anybody else—in St. Louis $s elsewhere. , . ... „ . It was all very simple. There was no deep, dark mystery about It. Bert -wasn’t a German, spy. The informal court finally came to these conclusions: Bert’s name is Bertha Schmidt. • His wife’s name is Mary Ashate. They are natives Of Hungary and cousin?. ’ Bertha dressed as a man in order to get a man’s wages. Bertha apd Mary, lived together as man and wife to help along the deception. . The upshot of It was that Mary was released. Bertha, however, was held to the federal authorities on a charge of false registration.

“I Tried to Do My Duty as a Boy Scout, Mother”

SOUTH ORANGE. N. J.—The Boy. Scouts of America are pledged to “do a good turn dailv.” This “good turn” is done both to man and beast. It ranges from filling mother’s wood box to feeding a hungry dog. There is no

limit to its scope. Gordon Seyfried, a boy scout twelve years old, ran up against something new In the way of doing his daily gocd turn. He foutfft his mother’s maid in the act of shooting herself. Gordon saw his chance to do a good turn. It was not only his chance but his duty, as he saw it. So he tried to tear the revolver from the maid’s hand. The revolver was discharged. The bullet passed through the maid’s body.

inflicting a wound that will probably prove fatal. Then it struck the young boy scout in the throat. Just before Gordon died in his mother’s arms he whispered to her: “I saw Pauline with the pistol and I tried to do my duty as a boy scout.” This is the spirit that has raised a vast army of Boy Scouts of America and has broken down every barrier of face and caste and creed. Of course 7 there is more to the boy scout movement than just doing a good turn daily. ’ Boy scouts camp out and explore and wigwag and extend first aid to the Injured and help in municipal and national movements and make themselves useful members of the community. The boy scout is loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty and brave—or at. least he tries to be. He stands for clean speech, clean habits, clean sport. Yet the boy scouj is in no danger of being made into an angelic boy. If he were, nobody would have any 'use for him and the movement would have died long ago. “I tried to do my duty, as a boy scout*’ should be carved on the tombstone of Gordon Seyfried.

Her Fur Coat and a Handsome but Stingy Motorist

BROOKLYN. —They were evidently very close friends, and when they met on a Gates avenue car they had a whole lot of important news t« exchange. A new ifufr coat that “one of them had on afforded conversation

for 12 blocks. “I’m taking it to the furrier’s to have it repaired,” said the owner; “it’s jyst in awful shape.” “Why, you only bought it last week,” said her chum. “Yes, I know, dearie, but a most terrible thing happened to it yesterday. It made me so nervous that I_ haven't stopped twitching yet.” “You see, I was crossing the street near my house,..and I had the coat over ray arm. Along came a limousine with an Adonis at the wheel, at 40 miles an

hour It just grazed yours truly. The coat disappeared under the machine I screamed and the man stopped his car and jumped out. He picked up the coat 'made a low bow and without a word, laid it across my arm. “Then he took a big roll of bills from his pocket, selected one, pushed It into ray hand with another bow, and was at the wheel and away down the street before I could say ‘Jack Robinson.’ ” a “Didn’t you get his number?” '** “No. You see, my dear, by the time I got my lorgnette adjusted he was so far away I couldn’t even see the color of the car. When I had partly recovered, I looked at the bill in my hand. How much do you suppose It was?” “A hundred at least.” “A hundred nothing! It was just a mean little measly old five dollars. I couldrih: believe that a good-looking chap could be such a mean scamp. “I am sure the repairs on the coat will be sixty or sevehty-five, and Doctss Smooth’s bill for ironing out ihy nerves will’ be another fifty. Awful, tsn’dftriear?” ' . '' • «

“Come Across, Boys, for a New Police Flivver”

CHICAGO. —Don’t be surprised if you should,,have a man share a tin can under your iyjse and “Come across, noys; this is tag day io buy a new flivver for the detective bureau.” The old car, which has seen 11 years'

service* is demobilizing. It has made nearly 200,000 miles in chasing bank and auto bandits, been shot full of holes, and has teen in several wrecks. In honor of its first owner, the late Mayor Busse, it was christened “Unser Fritz” When it'was wished on the detective bureau. Chief- Mooney said a bureau flivver ought to have an alias, sb it also is. known as “Mary Ann,” alias “Chicago Bed,” alias “Disorderly Conduct.” A new engine guaranteed to make

90 miles-an hour was . put in “Unser FHtz” to chase automobile bandits. For the last three years “Unser Fritz” has tafcen part ip more thrilling big incidents than all the cars in town put together. There hasn’t been an exciting chase or a “big pinch” of recent years that ••Unser Fritz” wasn’t on the job. „ <~4 ’. But ihe once stout frame is disintegrating. A board is now used for a 'wind shield. The top is gone, and when the bureau sleuths dash out on fl charge they are compelled to wrap newspapers inside of their coats to keep from freezing. . " “Unser Fritz,” they say, is a disgrace to the city. 7 ? AU unk man who know WHS the official thief chaser “offered $7 for It* and Mooney told bin he could have ft Qn, examining the relie the junk man reneged. Now the sleuths want Chief Garrity to give them permission to have A teg day to raise furida for a new car. j,? ■