June 24, 1906 (Sunday)

'ROCKET' LANDS IN NEW YORK: James Whistler's famous nocturne (right) in green and gold (familiarly known as "The Falling Rocket") is now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was bought recently by Harric C. Fahnestock, a museum trustee. It was hung yesterday in Gallery 12 by Bryson Burroughs, assistant curator of paintings. The article says the painting "depicts dancers and spectators in Cremorne Gardens appearing against the dark tones of a sombre London sky on a summer night." The article does not include what critic John Ruskin said about the painting years ago:
I have seen, and heard, much of Cockney impudence before now; but never expected to hear a coxcomb ask two hundred guineas for flinging a pot of paint in the public's face.
That led to a famous libel trial. Whistler won the trial but was awarded a mere farthing.

A NEW WEAPON FOR WAR: Here's an automobile with a distinctive feature. The McClean Arms Co. of Cleveland had developed an automobile battery that's capable of moving an automobile forward about 50 mph AND firing 100 shots a minute through a gun. The shells are 1.5 inches in diameter. A chauffeur operates the battery from a position where he's safe -- in the rear of the car. An article in The New York Times says, the "device is expected to make the automobile a popular engine of war." Of course, the popularity depends on which end of the gun barrel you find yourself.

CHECKING THINGS OUT IN THE LIBRARY: Puzzled about word that Russian secret service agents are watching New York City libraries for signs of people who are interested in topics such as anarchy, a New York Times reporter headed yesterday to the Astor Library. The reporter found books on explosives, biographies of dead anarchists and histories of revolts and displayed them openly on a table. But, this happened "without bringing forth any one who might be suspected of being a spy." Nor did it attract a spy watcher. He asked the librarian about any such spying within the library. "As a matter of fact," the librarian said, "all the big libraries of the world are watched and probably there are spies about, but I never get acquainted with them."

SOCIETY WOMEN TAKE UP THEIR PENS: There's a new society weekly being published in London. The name is spectacular: It's called the Throne. It's "for society women by society women." Evidently, two editors are assigned to each page. Portraits of 27 of them appear in the first edition. Among them are a couple of princesses and a duchess. Others from lower levels are countesses and a few other worthies and a smattering of madams. One news article sniffs, "It cannot be said that the quality of the matter is as high as that of the editresses and contributors."

June 23, 1906 (Saturday)

MAKING HIS BONES: The future of the late, great race horse Sysonby might lie in science. Owner James R. Keene seems interested in having the body exhumed and the skeleton saved and articulated, so the bony frame could be presented to the Museum of Natural History. this would not be unusual. The great English horse Ormonde is at the British Museum. And Lexington and American Eclipse are at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.

THE RUSSIAN SECRET SERVICE BECOMES A LITLE LESS SECRET: Individuals in the Russian Secret Service are at work on these shores in some curious places. Among them: the libraries of New York City. There, they are looking for Russians who are interested in books dealing with anarchy. The Washington Post says, "The chief Russian agent in each large library has at command a corps of skilled spies, one of whom follows a suspected person as soon as hi is indicated by a nod from the chief. In this manner the home, habits and occupations of suspected Anarchists are learned, and if the suspicons are verified, a report is made to the Chief fo the Russian Secret Service. This came up after Henry Melnek, 19, was arrested and charged with stealing books from the famous Astor Library. Melnek has expressed interest in books that deal somewhat with anarchy, including Perez' "Schriften," which deals with travels in Siberia. He also had a German translation of Jules Verne's "Around the Wrold in 80 Days." Russian agents also try to find out who buys books related to anarchy.

June 22, 1906 (Friday)

HOW SOME LABORERS USED THEIR HEADS TO FIND MRS. WHITNEY'S DIAMOND RING: For a week, Tiffany & Co. had offered a $1,000 reward to anyone who could find a diamond ring belonging to Mrs. Harry Payne Whitney (above). The ring was a gift from her father-in-law, William C. Whitney. The value has been placed at $20,000. The word was that she had lost it near their Westbury, Long Island, estate. Among the hunters were William Adams, a coachman; and John Deverett, Thomas Griffing, and John Griffin, all of whom are gardeners. After they heard that Mrs. Whitney (who was born as Gertrude Vanderbilt) recalled having the ring on her finger while walking across the lawn of her own estate last Saturday, they decided where to focus. They made a pact that they would share the reward if either man found the ring. The four men borrowed a diamond ring last night and dropped it on the Whitney lawn. While shining a lantern light at the ring, they discovered that it threw its rays about 10 feet. The men then started walking systematically across the lawn, each about 10 feet apart. In a half hour, Deverett saw something shining in the grass. It was the missing ring. The story is on the front page of today's New York Times. Let's just call these men the "Lords of the Ring."

SENATOR FINDS A STRANGE TIME TO CLAP: Recently U.S. Sen. Anselm McLaurin (Dem. of Mississippi) spoke on the Senate floor about a measure that would set aside money for the expenses of the president. He said, "If we pass it now it will be the law when in 1909 our next President enters on his term of office, and William Jennings Bryan...." At that point everyone heard a loud clapping that filled the hall. Everyone turned to see the source and find out who had the courage to applaud the name of Bryant, or "the peerless," on the Senate floor. They saw the monstrous Sen. James Henderson Berry (Dem. of Arkansas) (left). It turns out he was walking out of the chamber at the time and realized he had forgotten something. To get the attention of a page, he started clapping -- just when McLaurin mentioned Bryant's name.

LOCKED IN ON PANAMA: The Senate passed a bill that calls for a series of locks to be used on the Panama Canal, ending a protracted debate. The sea-level alternative -- which was the recommendation of the Interoceanic Canals Commission -- lost by five votes. President Roosevelt is pleased. The Washington Post described the type of order that Roosevelt is likely to give in the next day or so: "Cut loose now, and build the canal." This is a look at what the Culebra Cut looked like in 1904.

June 21, 1906 (Thursday)

WILD RUMOR FROM MICHIGAN: Paul Jones, the Western Reserve University coach, has returned from a visit to Ann Arbor, Mich., with word that the University of Michigan is considering the unthinkable -- releasing coach Fielding H. Yost. Jones says the university's board of control wants to put a graduate coach in charge this fall, even though Yost has another year on his contract. Yost has said that the board dealt one of the worst blows ever to the Michigan football team by abolishing the training table. Even so, the board better slow down before they do something drastic with the coach known as "Hurry Up" and the man behind the distinctive pronunciation of the school's name -- MEE-shu-gun.

THE HUMAN SKYSCRAPER COMES TO D.C.: Yost, or any football coach for that matter, would likely be quite interested in checking out Feodor Alexiovitch Machnow (right), who met President Roosevelt yesterday at the White House. The Russian is a giant -- reportedly standing 9 feet 3 inches tall, but that seems highly unlikely. He and his wife took the train from New York to Washington, with a number of companions. When Machnow got to the White House and was shown a picture of Roosevelt, he doubted he was about to meet the man. His reason? He had not seen soldiers in pretty uniforms and had "observed a lack of ceremony." Everything was in great contrast to his visits with the emperor of Germany and king of England. He was surprised when he saw Roosevelt. The article says, "He had looked for a man in splendid uniform but had met a man in summer white." Roosevelt said when he met him, "He is the biggest man I ever saw." Evidently, Bat Masterson helped arrange the meeting.

June 20, 1906 (Wednesday)

JUSTICE AT HIGH SPEED: Yesterday's report included an item about the arrest of Joseph Kean for the abduction of little Freddie Muth of Philadelphia. Kean has already been sentenced for 20 years. Here's a timeline, as presented by The Washington Post:
June 12 (afternoon): Kean lures Muth from his school.
June 12 (night): A baker notices Kean and a strange boy sitting in an oyster bar.
June 15: Kean sends a letter and threatens to harm the boy.
June 18: Kean is captured and the boy is rescued and returned to his parents.
June 19 (10 a.m.): Kean is measured by the system developed by Alphonse Bertillon (right).
--- (10:20 a.m.) Kean is committed to court without bail.
--- (11 a.m.): Kean is indicted by a grand jury.
--- (11:20 a.m.): Kean is arraigned before a judge.
--- (12:05 p.m.) Kean is sentenced to prison for 20 years.
--- (1:30 p.m.) Kean is behind prison doors in a penitentiary in Cherry Hill, the famous Eastern State Penitentiary, which made such a big impression on Charles Dickens about 60 years ago.

A TALE OF TWO THIEVES: Two men went to court in New York City yesterday. One, Henry Birschman, confessed to a financial swindle that amounted to grand larceny to the tune of $100,000. His creditors praised his attempts to pay the money back. He promised to make reparation and was released. The other many, John Clark, is on his way to jail for six years. His crime? Well, first, it's good to know that he's 45 and he has already served two sentences in Sing Sing. Back to his crime, the way it's described in the news article:
Clark was walking up the Bowery a week ago when he saw a barber standing in front of his shop flipping a quarter in the air. Clark seized the coin and started for the nearest saloon.
To sum it up: Steal $100,000, and you get set free; steal 25 cents and get six years. Wonder how long the jail term would have been if Clark had stolen a dime.

THE BALL WASN'T JUICED, EXACTLY: The center fielder for the Southern League's Montgomery Senators, a former Georgetown University player named Apperious, thought something looked a little funny when the ball left the bat of a New Orleans player. He caught the fly ball for the last out in the game on Sunday. As he left the field, he played his own "hidden ball trick" and snuck off the field with the sphere. He showed it to his manager, Mullaney. When the team got to Shreveport, Mullaney opened up the ball in front of the Shreveport manager. They discovered the ball was made almost entirely of rubber and plastic, with plastic wrapping in place of regulation twine. Mullaney and the Montgomery team plan to lay this out for Judge Kavanaugh, president of the league.

June 19, 1906 (Tuesday)

PHILADELPHIANS CAN BREATHE A SIGH OF RELIEF: Freddie Muth, the son of a wealthy jeweler, has been returned to his family, seven days after he was lured from the safety of the Muhlenburg Public School. It turns out a baker at 60th and Haverford avenue recognized the picture of the 7-year-old boy that the police had distributed. He recalled seeing a man with the boy at an oyster bar at 1613 Haverford Avenue sometime after midnight last Wednesday. That helped the police in their search. They tracked the kidnapper and boy down to in the city. The accused man, John Joseph Kean, is "a member of a respectable New York family, one-time bookkeeper of the Harlem Bank, a stock broker and more recently a real estate agent." Evidently he needed the money. Police were able to identify him by comparing handwriting on the ransom notes with some material presented by Keene's former boss, who claims the man had embezzled $400 from him. Word spread quickly about the arrest. About a thousand Philadelphians were at the Muth residence by the time Freddie was returned to his family. He still had his school book under his arm.

PRINCESS CHECKS IN WITH FORMER LOVER: Princess Chimay, formerly known as Clara Ward, has put gypsy violinist Rigo, in a difficult position. Rigo, who is leading a Hungarian Band at the Harlem Casino, has in his hands a $100 check from the woman, whom he has abandoned. (The couple, shown at right, eloped a couple of years ago.) She has continued to declare her love for the musician. He, evidently, demurs. The article ends with this statement: "Rigo had not decided tonight just what he would do with the $100 check." Maybe he thinks that cashing it reveals a token of his affection for the woman.

ONE WAY TO PROTEST AN UMPIRE'S CALL: center fielder Charlie Jones (left)of the Washington Senators is in trouble. He got upset after he was called out in the ninth inning yesterday on a "doubtful third strike." So, Jones threw a glass at the grandstand at the St. Louis stadium. It so happens that the glass landed near a box occupied by the wife of the secretary of the St. Louis Browns. The husband, named Rickert, has sent a strong letter to league president Ban Johnson asking for punishment of the player. If Jones had hit the woman, maybe the Senators would consider making him a pitcher.

June 18, 1906 (Monday)

GREAT HORSE LOSES RACE WITH DEATH: Sysonby, whom some consider to be the greatest race horse ever, died yesterday. Rumors had swirled for months that the horse was sick. But people held out hope for the horse, which won about $178,000 in stakes during the past two years. Evidently, it died of blood poisoning. The horse was beautiful. It makes you wish you had some kind of vision that would allow you to peek inside. Eventually the horse will be buried at Castleton -- beside Domino, the other favorite of owner James R. Keene.

THEY TIMED THEM WITH A CALENDAR: Speaking of racing, two of the oldest citizens of South Waterloo, N.Y., had an exciting foot race on June 16 along South Washington Street. The competitors were former Judge Rufus B. Cole, 88, and Jacob Pontius, 90. The route went from the Virginia Street bridge to the Lux Hotel -- about an eighth of a mile. Plenty of village residents were on hand for the race. Mr. Pontius set the pace at the beginning and led for about 100 yards. Then he had to stop for a moment and catch his breath. The judge overtook him. Mr. Pontius started up again. When the dust had settled, the judge was the winner by six feet. The article says they ran "with the zest and eagerness of two school boys." Both survived the race in good order. As it turns out, Judge Cole had been rejected for service in the Army in 1861. He tried to enlist in Grand Rapids, Mich. Officers told him that the Army "did not want any cemetery men," presumably meaning someone who was likely to die. As all of us know, the Army ended up being filled with plenty of "cemetery men."

HE'LL BE OUT OF JAIL IN THE YEAR 2905: A black man named Snow Williams was sentenced to 999 years in a Texas penitentiary this week, according to a notice in today's Washington Post. The dateline is Fort Worth, Texas. The scene of the crime was Belton, Texas. What did he do? Evidently, he entered a woman's room a few nights ago and grabbed her by the foot. She screamed, and people came to her rescue. Oh yes. She is a white woman. A grand jury happened to be sitting at the time. Justice moved quickly. One wonders what the sentence would have been had he grabbed both her feet?