Aug. 20, 1907 (Tuesday)

HE GOT A CLOSE LOOK AT JESSE JAMES -- DEAD AND ALIVE: Today's Washington Post includes a copy of a letter that an unidentified man from Baltimore wrote to the New York World. In it, the man reflects on his contact with Jesse James while working as a telegraph operator in Missouri. Here's how he described James' lifeless body (pictured):
What I saw was the body of a man not more than 5 feet 7 inches tall, slender almost to the point of fragility. A light brown almost blond beard rather long on the check but trimmed to a point on the chin, covered his face, while his head was crowned with an abundance of hair of the same shade. The eyes were closed but I had a vivid recollection of the steely blue eyes that had met my glances across the table at Cameron more than once when clad in a gray suit partially covered by a long linen duster with a hat of modish build the man for whom the surrounding country was being scoured and for whose capture, dead or alive, a large reward was offered, calmly ate his dinner or supper in as public a place as could be found in that vicinity....
He did not in any manner suggest the outlaw. On the contrary nine out of every ten persons who saw him at the time referred to would have taken him for a business man or a preacher -- probably the latter.

WHAT WAS THAT NAME AGAIN? An interview published Saturday in an article by the Paris correspondent of the New York World caused a big stir. In it, the interviewee suggested that President Roosevelt would run for re-election in 1908 and would, if elected, try and remain president for LIFE. The comments raised eyebrows because they were attributed to banker Solomon GUGGENHEIM (shown here). However, the paper got the NAME WRONG. The interview was with lawyer Randolph GUGGENHEIMER, according to a brief item on the front page of today's Washington Post.

A NOBLE GESTURE FOR KIPLING: The word from a Swedish newspaper is that Rudyard Kipling has won the Nobel Prize for literature. The Swedish newspaper has it "on good authority that this is so" and mentions that Mark Twain was under consideration for the honor, according to today's Washington Post. In London, Kipling was asked for confirmation or denial, and he said he has not been notified of the award. (The presentation speech will be made on Dec. 10.)

Aug. 19, 1907 (Monday)

VETERAN SURVIVED CIVIL WAR BUT CAN'T SURVIVE DISCUSSION OF PLANS FOR A PICNIC: Things got out of hand yesterday in the local headquarters of the Grand Army of the Republic in Victoria, Missouri. An argument broke out between two Civil War veterans -- both in their 60s. One -- George Patton -- attempted to hit the other -- Capt. Charles Waters -- with a stick. Waters quickly searched for a weapon of his own. He spotted an old, rusty bayonet that had hung on the walls of the headquarters for years. He yanked it free and stabbed Patton to death. It's likely that Patton will face a first-degree murder charge. Witnesses said yesterday that the men -- formerly friends -- were arguing about details of the annual PICNIC of the veterans, which is supposed to be held in the next couple of days.

PROVINCETOWN PREPARES FOR ROOSEVELT: President Roosevelt is likely going to be well received for Tuesday's ceremony in Provincetown, Mass., marking the laying of the cornerstone for the town's Pilgrim Monument. Seven battleships are on hand now, flooding the town at night with their searchlights. About 1,200 sailors and marines will participate in a parade. About 20,000 people are expected for the ceremony. Roosevelt is expected to speak for about 45 minutes. The celebrated Mayflower Compact is central to the celebration. Here's what the article in today's New York Times says:
Provincetown lays claim to the honor that the signing of the compact in its harbor marks the first time in the history of the world when men banded together and agreed to be governed by a majority and the town seal bears the words, "Birthplace of American Liberty."
People will see a large painting (9 by 15 feet) that depicts the signing of the compact.

NYC POLICEMAN RISKS LIFE TO NAB BURGLAR: People at the West Side Court heard a tale yesterday morning of a daring arrest by policeman William P. Holmes on Saturday night. The man facing charges, George Tanner, 19, was on the roof of a five-story apartment house that evening tying a rope to a chimney. He was spotted by a young boy who was in bed but happened to be looking out his window. The boy got dressed and told the building watchman about the man on the roof. The watchman, in turn, told Holmes. The police officer decided to try and sneak up on the burglar from a neighboring rooftop. He carried an 8-inch wide plank of wood to the roof of that building and laid it across an airshaft to the roof of the burglar's building. He had about 4 inches of board to spare on either end -- with the street 65 feet below. When he started walking across, the burglar heard him and rushed toward the plank, intending to kick its end off the roof and send the policeman to the street below. But Holmes pulled his revolver quickly and threatened to shoot the burglar. While pointing his revolver at the burglar, Holmes tiptoed across the plank, arrested him and made him walk back over the plank so he could bring him to the jail. It turns out that Tanner has recently been released from the Elmira Reformatory.

Aug. 18, 1907 (Sunday)

FORMER WIMBLEDON TENNIS FINALIST ENMESHED IN BRUTAL TRUNK MURDER: Things look bad for Vere St. Leger Goold, who played in the Wimbledon singles finals in 1879. He and a woman face murder charges after a trunk was discovered that held the dismembered body of a woman whom Goold and his co-defendant allegedly killed for money. The story was splattered over newspaper pages around the world in early August when the story broke. (The illustration above shows how France's Petit Journal handled the story. Ah, the "good old days of sensationalism".) Today's New York Times says French police find plenty of flaws in Goold's confession. He has told authorities he killed her with a knife after she had assaulted him because he refused to give her $100. The story really isn't that simple. For an overview, try this version.
The Times reports today that Goold has been doing his best to convince the authorities that he is insane. On the 16th, he complained to his guards and "clamored for help against imaginary enemies who, he said, were trying to cut off his legs and put them in a sack."

SHOWMAN RECALLS SOME TRIUMPHS: A reporter caught up with Judge H.P. Ingalls recently. He is living in the hamlet of Huntsville, Ohio. The judge, considered "the oldest living showman," chatted about his days as a circus promoter. A large part of the article in today's New York Times dealt with his handling of Eng and Chang Bunker, the most-celebrated Siamese Twins. He showed them with P.T. Barnum, recalling that on one Good Friday in the 1850s, the twins drew 55,000 to the Crystal Palace in London. While the Bunkers were a wonder to behold, they weren't his most memorable act, he said. He explained: "Mlle. Christine, the two-headed girl of North Carolina, was taken by me to England in 1871. She I consider the greatest curiosity."

CAN AN AUTOMOBILE HELP SHACKLETON GET TO THE SOUTH POLE? British explorer Ernest Shackleton recently left England on the Nimrod for what will be an important expedition to the Antarctic. Some of the innovations include the use of ponies (acclimatized in Siberia) and an automobile (being transported to New Zealand in a separate craft), according to an article in today's New York Times. The crew acknowledges that the automobile is purely experimental, but they hope it can transport supplies over the icys terrain. (I hope they know that there's no emergency road service.) The animals are another story. The "dogs vs. ponies" debate is summed up by Shackleton in a statement quoted in the article:
Of course, one thing may be said against ponies and in favor of dogs -- dogs will eat dogs, but ponies won't eat ponies. Perhaps you don't catch the drift of my meaning? In an emergency, with provisions giving out and dogs dying, we can feed the live dogs on the dead ones. But with ponies we can't resort to this measure. From a practical point of view, however, the ponies will carry more weight, do more work and eat less food than any other animals for this purpose.
This trip is one of a series of remarkable Antarctic expeditions toward and to the pole.

Aug. 17, 1907 (Saturday)

A KING'S BEST FRIEND: The famous Cullinan diamond might be on its way from South Africa to the vault of Great Britain's King Edward. Premier Botha said yesterday that he planned to ask Parliament to purchase the diamond, the largest in the world, as a present to the king "in token of the loyalty and appreciation of the people of the Transvaal for the bestowal of a constitution on the colony.
The diamond -- which has an intriguing story -- was found in 1905 by Fred Wells, and it is indeed a handful, measuring 4.5 inches across and 2.5 inches high and weighing more than 3,000 carats. (The pieces (made about 1908) are lined up above. At right, the original is being held by a South African miner, perhaps Wells.)

ARE AMERICANS DUPED BY BOGUS WINE? A group of about 1,500 wine growers gathered in Berlin yesterday and heard that Americans are being duped by bogus wines supposed to be genuine Niersteiner wines. A trade officials told the group,
Almost no genuine Niersteiner wine goes to the United States, but the exporters trust in American lack of experience with wine to escape detection.
Experts who have done the math say that MORE of the so-called "Niersteiner" wine is exported to the U.S. than is ACTUALLY PRODUCED at Nierstein.

WISCONSIN PRIEST GETS STEAMED OVER USE OF RICE AT WEDDINGS: At the close of a wedding ceremony in Racine yesterday, a crowd of guests waited outside St. Mary's Church for the bride and groom. Not surprisingly, the guests hurled rice at the newlyweds when they emerged from the church. The priest, the Rev. Father Theodore B. Mayer, was furious. "I forbid this," he cried, according to today's New York Times. He then made the following announcement, which was approved by the Archbishop of Milwaukee:
Throwing rice is a relic of barbarism, besides being dangerous and exceedingly unpleasant. This practice is not to be tolerated at a Catholic marriage ceremony.

Aug. 16, 1907

OLD ORCHARD BEACH RAVAGED BY FIRE: At least half a dozen hotels and dozens of cottages were destroyed by a fire that began about 8 p.m. yesterday at Old Orchard Beach in Maine. Among the destroyed hotels was the Hotel Emerson (formerly known as the Velvet) (shown above in 1904). Here's how the Times described its fate:
The large Hotel Emerson, the most elaborately fitted hostelry in Old Orchard caught fire about an hour after the Olympia. Like every other building in the place, it was of wood and burned like oil. Luckily the guests of whom there was a large number, had had time to remove their property, or at least such parts of it as were easily portable.
There was less confusion than at the Olympia, but the loss was greater, as the hotel cost $75,000 to build and the fitting and furniture were magnificent. The Emerson was formerly the Velvet, and was built by the candy man Hildreth partly as an advertisement for a brand of candy.
Today's New York Times puts the story in its lead position. The disaster is recalled in Maine 100 years later.

HEADLINE OF THE DAY:
"COCAINE KILLS BOY IN DOCTOR'S OFFICE":
It's true. Thomas Whiting, 7, of Burlington, Vt., died yesterday while Dr. G. Lenox Curtis was operating on him in his Manhattan office for adenoids. Here's what happened (emphasis added):
Dr. Curtis applied the USUAL AMOUNT OF COCAINE to the patient's throat. While the operation was in progress, the physician says, the boy from time to time LAUGHED and JOKED with his father and himself. He FELT NO PAIN, he said. The operation was finished, and as Cr. Curtis was about to advise the boy to go upstairs and rest, he collapsed.
Curtis told the Times that he has been using cocaine for similar operations since 1884. He added, "I believe I was one of the first to use the drug in this country after its discovery and after it had been used successfully in Heidelburg[sic]. In every case it has proved unfailing until this."
The city coroner and his physician were summoned and examined the boy. "They could find no reason to suppose that any negligence had been shown," the article says.

ONE OF THE WORLD'S GREAT VIOLINISTS DIES AT 76: Joseph Joachim is dead. The longtime asthma sufferer passed away at 1:45 p.m. yesterday in Berlin -- after being unconscious for "several days," according to today's New York Times. According to today's New York Times, he made his debut at 12 in 1843 in Leipzig. He was accompanied on the piano by.... FELIX MENDELSSOHN. Today's article says "beyond all doubt he did more than any other one person toward making chamber music popular in London." He was particularly fond of works by Brahms. (It's worth a second to hear him play his violin.)
Curiously, an editorial in today's Times takes issue with the contention that Joachim is "the first of living violinists." After all, the editorial says, he hasn't played as a soloist for year. The writer suspects the label is due to Joachim's "survival" rather than his "superiority." Then the writer says that the violinist's reputation has benefited from death, quoting Bacon's comment on one of the hallmarks of death: "It openeth the gate to good fame and extinguisheth envy."

LADY LIBERTY WILL RETAIN HER GREEN HUE: Liberty lovers can relax. The engineers in the War Department who are refurbishing the Statue of Liberty will NOT remove he greenish patina that time and weather have added to the statue, according to Capt. Burnell of the Signal Service Station at Bedloe's Island in New York. The exterior will NOT be brushed and sanded. What will be done? Workers will clean the INTERIOR framework and install elevators and fix up the terrace and the base upon which the statue stands, he says. In addition, he tells the New York Times, "Miss Liberty is to have new windows in her head."