People's Pilot, Volume 6, Number 22, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 November 1896 — A Dong Mail Route. [ARTICLE]

A Dong Mail Route.

The longest star mail service in the United States has just been established from Juneau to Circle City, Alaska, a distance of 898 miles. This recalls the story of the Irishman who was undergoing a civil service examination for the position of letter carrier. One of the questions was, “How far is it from New York to Constantinople?” His answer was: “I don’t know. And if that is the route you have for me, I don’t want the job.”

H is reported that James S. Whallon of Burlington, Vt, aged 88 yean, who last Thursday took Miss Mabel McKinney, the 17-yoar-old lass, for a bride, won his wife on an election bet. The Btoty runs as follows: v t Whallon has a divorced wife, “Effle Cox,’* who is now serving a 20 year •enftenoe in state prison for manslaughter, and, wanting to marry again, be won the love of Miss McKinney. She being under age, it was nooessary to secure the father’s consent before a marriage lioense oould be procured. So Whallon began his pleading. The father was somewhat loath to give np his daughter, but, believing in freo silver and Bryan, thought he would have no further use for a family if sound money won. 80 he made the offer that if McKinley were elected Whallon was to have the girl, bnt if Bryan won ho was never to visit the house again. Whallon aoaepted thoso terms, and ns soon as Jones gave up the fight led his prize to tho altar, where they were married. j A solon of a promim ut family paid a freak bet the other afternoon by driving a dilapidated looking mole through the principal streets of St. Louis. The mule was attached to ono of the “swellest traps in town." The harness wm silver mounted, but the mule was, to use a slang expression, * ‘strictly on the bum. ” The conveyance was varnished in red and highly polished. It was deoorated with yellow ribbons, and, with the exception of the male, the turnout made an elegant appearanoe. The young man who paid the bet sat in the front seat and wore a yellow stovepipe hat and a yellow ohrysanthemum. The winner of the bet, also a well known society young man, sat in the rear seat, wearing a yellow bat and ohrysanthemum, and at intervals oelebrated his viotory with loud and long blasts on a long tallybo trumpet. The mule was a big, rawboned, hairy specimen, with flapping ears. It looked as much out of plaoe as a pig in a parlor and seemed to realize Its position, as several times it attempted to kick over the traces and get out of the harness. The yonng man who thought Bryan would win drove the male oat Delmar boulevard as far as Taylor, then over to Lindell and up and down part of that thoroughfare and Westminster plaoe, West Pine, McPherson avenue and other west end streets. William W. Doherty of Lyuu, Mass., bad confidence in Bryan’s election and Sunday wore his wife’s bat to ohurob. It was a beautiful creation of ostrich feathers and waving aigrets, and as he wended his way through the principal streets of the city to St Joseph’s ohuroh be was the recipient of much attention. On entering the church be removed the hat and went to his accustomed seat After mass be replaoed it and went home, followed by a large crowd. The night before he offered Tom Kearns, with whom he bad bet, SSO to release him from bis obligation. He | now offers to bet that Bryan will win I four years henoe.

Two Van Buren county (Mich.) faruQQ ers—lsaac Haslet and Norman L. Jonj w —bet on the election, and as a resit the former will have to operate the 11 a. ter’s farm from Jan. 1, 1897, to Di 81 of the same year. Haslet watf “ warm admirer of Bryan and was coii dent the Nebraska man would be eletl ed, while Jones was sure MoKinljj*. would be the next president. A fejZ, weeks before election they made LU a above bet. It was stipulated that loser should take care of the stock, do all the plowing, seeding a^ en harvesting—-in fact, managing every f^ B tail of the farm work, besides paying£„iit hired belpneoessary in addition to <J n b _ his own farm work! Haslet deola^ gh de _ will live up to the agreement. years 'ia.”

At Sylvan Grove, Kan., a fooliL wager was carried out. A Republican , had the pleasure of stripping a Bryan advocate to his undergarments, and while he stood and shivered in the cold the McKinley man applied a coat of white lead. Brice Osborne of Mount Gilead, 0., did not think McKinley wonld be elected; therefore, in accordance with an ante-election proposition, he must walk to San Francisco.