Oct. 31, 1906 (Wednesday)

PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR; STEP AWAY FROM THE DICTIONARY: Solicitor General Hoyt prepared a brief to present to the Supreme Court (above) that, the New York Times says today, was "studded" with words that are part of the controversial simplified spelling system. Samples were "fantasy," "dropt" and "kist." Chief Justice Melville Fuller followed along as Hoyt read his text, putting up with words such as "thruout," "fantom," "fixt" and the rest. Then Hoyt blundered. His text included a long quote from a decision by Justice Joseph Philo Bradley. When he read the word that was printed as "thru," Fuller pounced. Here's the exchange, as described in the Times. Fuller asked, "Is this supposed to be a quotation from Justice Bradley's official opinion?"
"Yes sir; in all except the spelling," Hoyt replied.
Then the writer had some fun with the next comment by Fuller -- taking a jab at the reform-movement's efforts to remove unnecessary letters:
"Ah-h-h-h-h!" replied the Chief Justice, with a long, rolling inflection, inserting five "h's" in a word that is supposed to have one.
The rest of the Justices grinned, and so did everybody else in the courtroom. Mr. Hoyt discerned the danger signal and hurriedly jumped off the track.
"Hereafter," he said, "I will see to it that nothing of this kind occurs. While we follow the President's order in preparing original briefs. I do not feel that we are justified in changing the orthography of judicial opinions, and I will see that it does not happen again."

A PERFECT BUSINESS FOR A SHARE-THE-WEALTH SOCIALIST: A young (27 years old) Joseph Medill Patterson has decided to follow a business that flows with his family's background: He has started a newspaper. He's wealthy and has a reputation of being a "parlor Socialist." The Newark News says the newspaper business is perfect for that because it's the "quickest way to distribute his wealth." (By the way, Patterson will become the grandfather of the former husband of former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, herself a onetime journalist.)

Oct. 30, 1906 (Tuesday)

BRITISHER PAYS A HIGH PRICE FOR X-RAY USE: In England, a reporter sat down with Major John Hall-Edwards, who has done lots of work with Roentgen X-rays. (The image at the left is, evidently, the first X-ray ever made -- by Wilhelm Roentgen in 1895, of his wife's hand, complete with wedding ring.) It turns out that Hall-Edwards -- who is one of the first physicians to use an X-ray to make a diagnosis, is suffering greatly from X-ray dermatitis. The inteview was in a "watering place" in Lancashire. He said, "For two years now, I have not been free from pain for a single second." He showed the reporter his hands -- a sight that prompts most people to get up and walk away. The reporter writes that the back of each hand is covered with warts and red coloring. His surgical practice has been ruined by the disease. He despairs of finding a cure even though medical experts from around have tried to help him. Hall-Edwards lived long enough to play a role in the Cottingley fairy hoax.

HEARST MAKES MEMORABLE QUIP IN CAMPAIGN ORATORY: It's a line he has likely said before, William Randolph Hearst (right) offered a gem during a speech in Syracuse on Monday. As his campaign for governor against Charles Evan Hughes, He said: I will make this proposition for Mr. Hughes -- that if he will stop lying about me, I will stop telling the truth about him. It's a great quip, which, according to Ralph Keyes, is often attributed to Adlai Stephenson (in his 1952 presidential campaign, but Hearst and Chauncey Depew made similar statements earlier.

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU SAY ABOUT THE PRESIDENTS: Captain Henry R. Craft of the steamer Bessie Smith was sentenced to a jail term for CURSING the PRESIDENT. The statement that prompted this action by Judge Nathaniel Ewing was: "To hell with the President of the United States." The sentence was meted out yesterday. And it was served in full yesterday, too. The term: ONE HOUR in JAIL. He served his time from noon until 1 p.m. yesterday. The captain will later have a very close call in a sinking on the Ohio River.