Aug. 21, 1906 (Tuesday)

WHERE'S WALDO'S HEAD AT WHEN IT COMES TO HATS? Acting police commissioner of New York City, Rhinelander Waldo (yes, that's his real name) has a proposal for the New York Police Department. He wants the rank-and-file to stop wearing the helmets and start wearing soft caps. This is not going over so well, especially in light of Waldo's assertion that a cap is "better protection against assault than a helmet." Most police officers seem to prefer the helmets (exhibited so well in the photo at the right). Regarding protection, here's what an "old timer" told The New York Times:
"Many a brick and cobblestone's been shunted off my head by the helmet I was wearing, and they're mighty handy things to have on about fires. They keep the falling glass and bits of brick and woodwork off in great shape."
Not sure when the change will be made.

THIS COURT CASE HAD A PHOTO-FINISH: French sailor Gesset Tenani had some time off yesterday. So, he left his ship, L'Etoile, in the morning and headed off to the amusement park at Fort George. Someone at one of the booths offered to take his picture. When Tenani saw the result, his Gallic blood boiled. He was offended by the photo, so he began to wreck the camera. A policeman hauled him into the station and charged him with disorderly contact. He appeared before Magistrate Cornell in Harlem Police Court. Cornell fined him $10. That also boiled Tenani's blood. The Times described the sailor's resonse: "He said something that sounded like the Marsellaise without the music, which was not translated." Then the sailor pulled the tintype (photo) from his pocket and showed it to the judge. At that point, Cornell must have agreed that the photo was an insult to the Frenchman. The judge dismissed the charge. The sailor was freed. Unfortunately the Times printed no photo.

THE "OTHER WOMAN" SURFACES: The Gillette case has gotten interesting in Herkimer County, New York. (You remember that one? It began to come to light on July 14 and 15.) Anyway, there's been a lot of talk about the "other woman" in Chester Gillette's life. Evidently, it's Harriett Benedict (right) of Cortland. Her father has gone to great lengths to deny that the two were even close to being engaged. He even made a formal statement for the press -- to further distance his daughter from the man who's accused of killing Grace Brown in Big Moose Lake. That picture of Harriett Benedict does remind me of somebody, at least a little.