Rensselaer Republican, Volume 27, Number 11, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 November 1894 — AN AFFECTING STORY. [ARTICLE]

AN AFFECTING STORY.

The melancholy days have come, the saddest of the year, when, candidates say to the bum, “Come to me arms, my dear.” “He who steals my gold steals trash; but he who filches my good name steals that which naught enriches him and makes me poor indeed.” “The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgressions thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall and not rise again. The pension question is a living jSsue in Germany, also, and there is eaid to be great discontent at the rapidly increasing number of officers who are retired on a stipend. Since the Kaiser ascended the throne in 1888 more than 4,000 officers have “been "forced toTesign in this wav. Temperance people will be gratified to know that the number of brewing licenses during the past twelve years, in old England, long supposed to be a very citadel for brewing interests, has fallen off to the extent of 10,588. This statistical information may be very misleading, however, ns the annual output of the bivwries still in business may have been so largely increased that this large,reduction in the number of establishments would be more than counterbalanced.

New Jersey “hired gals” are a queer lot, if the enterprising specimen in the employ of Senator McPherson is a fair sample It is claimed for the Senator now that he did not intend to withdraw from the race for re-election and only wrote the letter committing himself to that course to see how it would look. The enterprising cook summarily sent it off as she had done with the Senator’s telegrams buying sugar stock . last summer, while he slumbered. That cook might retire from the “range” and go on the stage with profit. Notwithstanding the nnmerous accidents that have resulted from carelessness in handling dynamite and other high explosives, people will continue to handle them with the utmost carelessness. For instance, Joseph Kasmiski, of Buffalo, . knew very well that he could not impose on a dynamite cartridge in safety, yet he deliberately punched it with a crowbar. Mr. Kasmiski proceeded “skyward” promptly, and was fortunate enough to come down in one chunk, although every bone in his body was broken. He left a large family to mourn his loss and wonder at his stupidity.

□ The capture of Capt. Howgate, the defaulting chief of the United States Signal Corps, who disappeared from Washington many years ago, was not an achievement of which “Sherlock Holmes” would have been at all vain. In fact the stupidity of the . detectives and special secret service ' officers intrusted with the case might be said to have been monumental, in view of the final denouement. The prisoner stated that he had done business openly in New York for eight years and made no efforts to conceal his identity.. Hardly a day or a night passed that he did not recognize—and was recognized by — people he had known in the days of his innocence and prosperity at Washington. The only reasonable inference is that there has been “a nigger in the wood-pile” and that for some reason the Government Has not been anxious to push the case j to a final issue. Interesting devei- j opmentsmay be expected, although i they may not materialize. The average detective is not an especially brilliant person, as is demonstrated by the numberless escapes of criminals in all parts of the country and the countless crimes that are annually dismissed as inexplicable, and arecatalogued and pass into oblivion with the simple words, “no clew.” “Gentleman Jim” has evidently got his “dander” up to a great alti - tude. He was greatly averse to the meeting with Fitzsimmons at the beginning of the negotiations, but j having accepted the challenge does not appear to have any intention of permitting “Fitz” to sneak away I from the agreement on mere techni- 1 cal ities. .Doubts having been expressed as to the possibility of the meeting being successfully carried to a finish in Florida, Fitz in an interview • intimated that the ' fight might not come elf. Corbett put a damper on the proposition at once, • in an interview at Buffalo, in which he said he would agree to every prosuemap* ;■ ;• t .,- >■. -ft,-- '• '

posed change m the articles, except that*the fight must be for the Police Gazette championship belt, which he has already won twice. If Corbett wins this fight the belt, will be his pr-rsonal property, and, he will not need to defend it a fourth time. Corbett positively announced that he would meet Fitzsimmons anywhere that a fight could be conducted with out interference, even if the stake was but $5, after which he will permanently retire from the pugilistic profession. The majority of our people sup pose that Newfoundland is a part o: the Dominion of Canada. Such -however, is not the case- It is i British colony of itself with a gov ernment of its own, an eXecutivi council, legislative council, 1 and i House of Assembly, A reporter recently interviewed Sir Johi O'Brien, the Governor of Newfound land,, who is now in. England Governor O’Brien stated that thi people of his colony were not it favor of joining with Canada, an< although the question had not beer agitated, he gave it as his opinior that they would prefer annexation to the United" States rather than te Canada. Canadian amoexatipn-has been agitated for many years. Sc far as known there is no practical prospect of any such event taking place in the near future. Newfoundland may possibly join the Union. It is ours by natural right,and com mercial interests would seem to favor such a movement.

The Power of Filial Liove and It< Great Reward. “I have a little story to tell you. boyp,” our old neighbor said to the young people the other -.evening. “One day —a long, hot day it bac been, too —I met raj’ father on the road to town. “‘I wish you would take this package to the village for me, Jim, he said hesitating. “Now, I was a boy of twelve, nol fond of w'ork, and just out of the hayfield, where I had been at wort since day-break. I was tired, dusty and hungry. It was two miles into town. I wanted to get my supper and dress for singing class. “My first impulse was to refuse, and to do it'harshly; for I was vexed that he should ask me after my long day’s work. If I did refuse, he would go himself. He was a gentle, patient old man. But something stopped me —one of God’s good angels. I think. “‘Of course, father. I’ll take it,” I said, heartily, giving my scythe tc one of the men. He gave me the package. ‘“Thank you, Jim,” he said, “1 was going myself, but somehow ] don’t feel very strong to-day.” “He walked with me to the road that turned off to the town, and as he left me he put his hand on mv arm, saying again, ‘Thank you. mj son. You’ve always been a good boy to me, Jim. !l _ “‘I hurried into town and back again. When I came near the house I saw a crowd of the farm hands at the door. One of them came to me, the tears rolling down his face. “ ‘Your father,’ he said. ‘He fell dead just as he reached the house. The last words bespoke were to you. “I am an old man now, but I have thanked God over again in all the years that have passed since that hour, that those last words were, ‘You’ve always been a good boy tc me, Jim.’ ”