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About The Wickes Pioneer (Wickes, Mont.) 1895-1896 | View This Issue
The Wickes Pioneer (Wickes, Mont.), 11 April 1896, located at <http://montananewspapers.org/lccn/sn85053310/1896-04-11/ed-1/seq-1/>, image provided by MONTANA NEWSPAPERS, Montana Historical Society, Helena, Montana.
(49 -- avow 4 v.: Oa !ON i s Nsa NM -'4 :—P '444*• IPs. $Se. I EX Wel •1 P4Vgi ire bla w i 1 1/4194 See/els Iv 4 l is oz40 74 ZiVo$1 61 ( Orir* to iollo TIII da tr tx, ro_ trgo 4111 `4. :5 4 4 0 . 'OL OF WITH ; • TTOM. FIRST 4 V oard. NA. Meal, ; na. ER e • VOL. I. e •WICKES PIONEER. \Free Coinage of Gold and Silver at the Ratio of 16 to 1.\. WICK ES, MONTANA, SATURDAY. APRIL II, 1896. „NO. 36 KOEGEL & JOHNSON PROPRIETORS Billiard Hall and Saloon. Our Specialties are: Chase's Barley Malt. Bottled Beer, $3.25 Per Case. WE HANDLE THE FINEST BRANDS OF 141110M 6Iaar8, ON THE MARKET. A SHARE OF YOUR TRADE IS SOLICITED. KOEGEL & JOHNSON, MAIN STREET Wickes, - - Montana. IN THE ODD CORNER. QUEER AND CURIOUS S ORIES FROM EVERYWHERE. How an Acquitted Counterfeiter Settled Ilia Lawyer's Bill—Whistling (Aria— The Fearful Experience of a Man in a Trance. years Has gone AWS sakes, I'd ruther hey him here His ownself kind and ready, A potCring roun' an' whisling clear Jiat as he was yesteddy. '10 think that thirty and more a-rollin' by, An never a fuss tull this before Has come 'tween him an' I. Ttree sons and darters merrird now. An' two our boys is dead; An' he an' Ito hey this row W'en bitter words was said. The house seems all so quiet, stir The sun has left the mark; An' soon I'll hear the whipperwill Call through the lonesome dark. The clock keeps going tick, tick, tack. I wisht that I was (lead, Not cryin' here an' rocking back, My apron o'er my head. Eh! What's that Mee at the door? Oh, Paw, it's you! it's you! I'll never scold you any more, No matter what you do. Fer real old folks like us to fuss It seems a dreadful sin— An' you've got the kitchen all a muss With your muddy boots agin! Mr. Sprinkle'a Good Dollar.. \r saw by the papers the other day where three of the famous 'Sprinkle' dollars had shown up,\ said F'. L. Strow- bridge of Peoria, Ill., to a Washington Times reporter. \Do you know what the 'Sprinkle' dollars were! No? Well, Josiah Sprinkle, the man in question, lived in one of the roughest sections of Lewis county, Kentucky. Washington. the county seat of Mason, was then a thriv- in - town. One day Sprinkle, then an oh'. man, appeared at Washington, with a buckskin pouch full of silver dollars of his own make. \In every respect they appeared the equal of the national coin. The weight was more than at present, and the quality and ring were all that could be asked for. He spent them freely and everybody accepted them upon the as- eurance of Sprinkle that they were all riyht, except that they were not made by the United States mint. l'pon being asked where he got the silver, he re- plied: 'Oh, it don't matter! There is plenty of it left.' The inscriptions on th , coins were rudely outlined, and in no wise was an attempt made at imitat- ing the national coin. On one side of the coin was an owl, and on the other a six -pointed star. The edges were smooth. The coins were considerably larger and thicker than the United States coin. Whenever Sprinkle came to town he spent the dollars of his own make. \At one time he volunteered the In- formation that he had a silver mine in toe west, but the old man refused to tell any one where it was located. Finally the government agents heard of the matter and came on to investigate. Sprinkle was arrested and brought into court. tort the dollars were proved to be pure silver, without alloy, worth, in 7act, a trite more than $1 each. After an exciting trial he Was acquitted. When the verdict was announced Sprinkle reached down in his pockets rind drew out a bag of filly of the coins and paid his attorney In the presence of the astonished officiate. Sprinkle was never afterward bothered and con- tinued to make the dollars until the time of his death He di al suddenly aid carried the secret of his silver mine with him. This was hi the early '308 rind It has been twenty years since a Sprinkle dollar has been found.\ Whhallolf Dirlo• \I have made a study of the whiatling girl, and, nelde from her Rush mph Ion of a masculine prerogative, she IR Ilan/111y dainty and fastidious hit of feminin- ity, who loses not one iota of her worn enly charm when she puckers her pretty mouth and whistles a merry time ,\sald a man Vect , ittly to ft reporter of the Philadelphia Press \Rather the roguish twinkle In her eye challenges c4 (mitre. To a imperil( I al observer she is frank, honest, high spirited, noble hehrted, superior to the alleged pretti- ness of her sex, and, should circum- starree require, aufficlently generrma to no ke wonderful sacrifices for those she loves, for being ardent find Impulsive she loves warmly - She may hate, too, with correepond ir enthusiasm. but not for lento for hi -log tender of heart and believing al ways the best of humanity, this harsher sentiment finds no permannent home with her \contrary to the general opinion, she is rarely, If ever a 'tomboy; and if she occasionally makes use of her abliityl to attract the attention of some delin- quent conductor, it la only when she is hurrying home at dusk and knows that the friendly darkness will not reveal her secret. As she approaches the cor- ner she sees the coveted car leaving her, perhaps to a long and weary wait on the sidewalk. She glances around to appeal possibly to some small boy, but this convenient commodity fails to ap- pear. Steadily the car is receding. Can silt- be blamed If for a moment she for - gate that utility should weigh lightly in her vocal scale? \And at last, when she triumphantly enters the car, no one would suppose that those demure lips had uttered that shrill and effective signal. Altogether, although inclined to be wilful and re- bellious at tunes --arid who admires dull perfection?- she is a girl fashioned after a free ideal. \Is she to have her vocal freedom re- strained by a cruel conventionality, which forbids her to enliven her home with pretty, birdlike music, while at tha same time it not only tolerates but often pretends to admire the vocalist next door, who seeks to entertain the entire neighborhood at eventide by a series s of walling crescendos? \The whistling girl abruptly puckers her rosy lips to show her pretty teeth in a dazzling smile as she flashes upon yet: a newer version of her grand- mother's rebuke: 'Girls that whistle and hens, that crow, make their way wherever they go.'\ A Fearful Experience. \Talirfirg or peculiar experiences re- minds me of something that fell to my lot during my boyhood years,\ said John H. White in the Kansas City Journal. \I had been Injured In an explosion of fireworks and wag sick for a time, but had recovered and thought I was well, when I was stricken with an at- tack Giat affected my head and pros- trated me for several weeks. The in- jury caused me great pain and suffer ing and at times I was delirious. The climax of my trouble came one night after I had suffered terribly during the day and as the change took place in my condition I sunk away until the watchers at my bedside concluded I was dead. \I was hundreds of miles from home and the friends waited for morning to dawn to send word to my parents. They had sent word to the undertaker and covered me with a sheet while waiting for him. They also tied my hands and feet in position and fastened a cloth under my chin and left me for dead. As I was covered they did not notice any other change and so did not see that I was reviving. I was very weak and had not the strength to make any resistance of consequence. At the time I awoke I found myself covered with Lhe sheet and my hands and feet tied and I realized at once the mistake that had been made. I was weak and could not call to them, nor was I able for a long time to move. The realization of the horrible blunder dazed me so I was powerless. I lay there under that eheet more than an hour and it was the most, frightful experience I ever underwent. I wondered whether the undertaker would come and finish me, and then I 'wondered whether I was retails dead or whether I was In a trance and would be buried in that condition. Then per- spiration broke out all over my body and the nervous strain continued until I shook as if with a chill. The tremor of my body attracted my friends and / was neon relieved from my grewsome predicament and given the care neces- sary. and was soon on the high road to recovery. It was weeks, however, be- fore I recovel'ed from that nervous shock so that I felt like myself and It makes me shrink in horror when I realize the condition I was in and what might have happened had the under- taker reached there during my uncoil- fleirnigneFFI If he had I v. - otild not be here to -day telling this story.\ Street Stores for the Pari• Poor. The menicIpal emincil has just deck' ed Amin a plan which will give to many of ttur figilafea a new appearance. Every one has seen the large braziers or furn- aces used by night watchmen near buildings in process of construction during the cooler half of the year. When filled with burning wood or coal streams of flame ehoot oub from the scores of roam! boles In the sheet Iron cylindrical exterior and the latter fre- quently gets red hot and gives a good heat for several feet armind Some of these braziers In the past have been provided by the city in order to warm tleise whose duties call them out In the early hours of the morning or for the ac- cemodatien of any homeless wanderer. Now a large liumlutr are it) be placed all over Paris. except In the luxurious champs ElyReeti quarter and the very narrow Streets, and a movable awning is to be erected over them, which will serve as a abetter for those who need it and at the same time retain to some extent the warmth of the fire. They will be put rip and the firer; lighted es cry night end the whole affair taken down In the morning It Is expected, also, that these 1)1'1171M - a will serve to attract tramps who now .rdlect In churches. railway atations and melee- rens for the,, sake of the wsruith and are dim , jilt in get rid of when the build inert are closed This new project wit be really a great cherity to the helne- kcits poor. BANKER OF TO -DAY. SELFISH, UNPATRIOTIC AND SOCIETY'S ENEMY. If There Are Exceptions (and There Are) They Should COnle Out and Be Heard In Behalf of the Suffering Peo- ple. It is possible to conceive of a banker possessing large ability and great in- fluence, and observing that his coun- W suffers because its finances are in disorder, coming forward, impelled by feelings of patriotism, to offer, without hope of money reward, his advice and his assistance in the work of restoring order and confidence. Such a man, performing such a service, would tie- ilerve and would receive honor from his countrymen. The land is filled with bankers, great and small; but 4/there among them appears a figure of this kind in the present crisis? In - Stead there looms up before a nation bewildered and befooled by the public press quite another figure. It is that of the variety of banker who first pro- cures the rejection of one of the mory metals; who then instructs the dull- witted .people that there can be no other sound money than the remaining metal; who then proceeds to corner the gold, which could not have been cor- nered had silver been retained; and who, finally, making the treasury of the United States his victim and the peace and honor of the country his plaything, proceeds to gorge himself with the profits of his thimble -rigging operations. With one hand he creates panic, with the other he despoils the wealth -producers of the fruits of their toil, He intimidates the newspapers; he cows other bankers who wish to be decent and holiest; he bullies members of congress so that they dare not speak In defense of their constituents; he creates a reign of terror in which it Is hardly sate for a free American citizen even to hint at the fact that his policy Is that of the brigand and the thief. In truth, the performances of Captain Kidd were the most frolicsome gam- bols of an inno.-ent child compared with the plundering of this bandit who makes the prosperity of a great nation his prey, and the treasury of the rich - oat eauntry In the world a mere cog - (tuft to turn into his pocket the gains filched fom the possession of honest men. The banker performs a most useful function in modern society. No judi- cious man will complain if, while en- gaged in lending money at reasonable interest, men who are in that business shall acquire a good share of tha wealth created by the labor of others. Many bankers are just as good Mill and just as good and loyal citizens as other men, and are as incapable of doing a dis- honorable or unpatriotic act. But the banking class suffers just now in popu- lar esteem because, as a class, it has rallied to the support of the nefarious gold system, and because it gives at least, tacit approval to the great money sharps in the large cities who have rigged the treasury for their personal advantage. These big bankers ap- pear to terrorize the smaller bankers. as they do the public newspapers and members of congress; and meantime all the banking interest, too eager for gain, mdnifeets anxiety to obtain for itself control, of the money issues of the coun- try, which should remain in the hands of the government. The notion, assid- uously iirged, that a man, because he is a hanker, knows more about these things than other men, is conspicuous- ly absurd. The general run of bank- ers is composed of men of very moder- ate ability. Some bank presidents are hardly able to write a letter containing correct syntax and orthography. But, whether they be wise or foolish, It Is no part of their husinesa to undertake to direct, single hriled. the finances of the nation; and the people will not have R. If the bankers had real wis- dom they would perceive that their true advantage is in promoting the prosperity of the wealth producers and In refraining from increasing the pop- ular feeling of antagonism to banks and bankers. We any to them that Mr. Cleveland's recent performances and the rapacious greed of certain powerful bankers have not only done more than any thing else to hasten the overthrow of the gold system. but also to create dislike of bankers a hieh may bear bit- ter fruit at an ; arly day in the shape of hostile legislation.—The Manufacturer. A BLOW IN FAVOR OF SILVER. !Brock by England. hot EArldently With- out Int pm, Ion. To the Miter of the Ledger: No more forcible argument has heen made for the return by this country to a bimetal Ilf atnndartt than the threat of the Eng lish bankers to destroy the credit of this nation if it pereits In the attempt to maintain national honor Our Eng lish masters can well afford to press the cup of hemilliY, filled with time mugs of dinhonor, to the Bee of those who, self eeekingly have made the fiteinclel antra of this nation depend full upon the whims ami lettleiee \t . the European hankers I the sharks the , hair followed the ship of rtate, uai ins for the storm that in the distr. they might fatten tenet Here is a nation first in resources, first in the genius of application, first in native powers, abashed by a coterie of English Shylocks. who threaten to visit dire disaster upon it If the atteznpt is made to uphold a long and estab- lished national policy; and congress, yea, the wise (?) men of the land are compelled to counsel over the displeale ores of this cabal. Is it not about titne for some modern Monroe to arise and announce a dis- tinctive American policy—one that will not entangle itself In European greed, or be subservient to the pleasure of money sharks? In which lurks the more vencin. an which lies the greater danger, England's aggressions on a South American republic, or English mastery of American finances? A su- premacy so potent that national esteem, dignity and honor must tremble in as- serting itself. It h- some comfort to know that the impotency of the Amer- ican financial system Is at last about to dawn upon the nation, and even to penetrate the dense tog that has so long enveloped the white house. Were it not for the magnitude, the serious- ness of the situation, that plaintive cry for help by its blind habitant would be amusing. Oh, Grover, how often these silver cranks have told you so, but you would not heed them. But in the hour of thy distress they will come to thee with silver and greenbach galore, G o ,,moves in a mysterious way no tions are his instruments to work for the good of humanity. Whenever the strument becomes useless It is cast aside. The war cloud may be purposed to serve that mysterious power that moves all nations, all time to work for the manifest destiny of man, is awak- ening the public conscience of this peo- ple from the lethargy, the supineness, that so long has held them in the grasp f greed. If so, and the subtle chains of Shylock are broken, who can say that Venezuela has not performed well her allotted part in advancing the tide of humanity to a broader and freer field? Anything that will break the bonds of financial slavery that now holds this country to Europe may be accounted as a divine blessing. Turo on the dogs. Respectfully, E. W. Taylor. In Tacoma (Wash.) Ledger. PRECIOUS METALS IN CHINA. Curchaaing Power of Silver Has Not De. riffled hut Gold Has Appreclat•d. (Prepared for The American by Col. E. it. Jefferds, an Arnericatn Engineer, now in Shanghai.) Gold. in the for of money. Is never seen in China, neither are gold ingots in use in trade, but are used for hoard- ing only. Hoarded gold is generally found in only two forms. One Is In ingots shaped like a boat about 3.6 inches long, 0.8 inches wide, and weigh- ing 11.575 oz, Troy weight; the other is in the form of gold leaf, measuring about eight inches square and weigh- ing (thou thirty grammes. The relative value of gold to silver was in the be- ginning of the Ming Dynasty (A. D. 1375), one to four; under the Emperor Wan Li (1594) of the same dynasty, one to seven; at the end of the Ming Dy- nasty (1635), one to ten; under the Emperor Kung-hsi (1622) of the pres- ent dynasty, one to twelve; under the Emperor Kien-lung (1737), one to twen- ty; in the middle of the reign of Toak- wang (1840), one to eighteen; at the be- ginning of the reign of Hun-fung (1850), one to fourteen; In 1882, one to sixteen to eighteen, and at present one to thirty. Gold not being used in China as money but as a commodity, its only value is for hoarding and ornamental purposes, thus the people can readily comprehend that gold has advanced nearly one hundred per cent since 1882. One ounce of silver will buy just as much rice, corn, cotton, silk or other commodity, except gold, as ever it would, but gold is too high for all but the very richest people to indulge in. Preciviy the same conditions. as far as vs Cs are concerned, prevail in the United States, only our people have been bulldozed into the belief that all values, except gold, have gone down, down, while the value of gold remains stationary. Mr. R. E. Bredon. commissioner of cuatoms, in the Decennial reports of the custom house, Shanghl. says: \It would be impossible in the space at my disposal to discuss the Influences which tell on the movements and value of the precious metals in China, even if, writing with only the trade of a single port before me, I am in a position which qualifies me to do so. I can only say that, in the general opinion, a tat , ' of silver buys tie much produce ma it did when it had it sterling value.\ This, I believe, is a fair general statement An intssligent native says that as regards prices. a nian who has an income of one hundred taels a year, can now buy greater quantity of 'Hefei articles than he could with the same money ten years ago --The American. Will Soon Dana th• Run. The bold efforts of the gold press to b e littl e the Washington convention are highly Indicative of the uneasiness in the money centers at the raphl growth of the American blmetallb actolnient that thrives on bunions))) failure); and Maybe He Is (letting rem Now. _ \Well poor old Myzer had to give lip The ; ImIcli :ides in summer ill,. the ghost at last \ chick a dee In e Inter, IRV ft day.\ \Ro I heard I bet It Is the first thing he ever gave up without getting paid.\ Han and Wife. Mr. Ferry—Why on earth do you spend so much time running around pricing things you have no notion of buying? Mrs. Ferry—For the same reason, I suppose, that you sit around reading the sporting column of the paper and figuring up how much you might have won if you were a betting man, It is a sort of mental diversion. A Biased Humanitarian. Abe Pothunter (alarrnedly)- 1101' on, pap! Don't kick the dog. Riley Pothunter --How long sence yew've bin a humane s'ciety agint ? Abe Pothunter— 'Taint thee pap. Th' whelp swallered hart' a box o' my forty-four calibre cartridges this morn - in', an' the' hain't no tellin' w'h;11 way they're p'intin'.\ The 'tillage Dignitary. They asked him if he would be mayor, Chief, marshal, sheriff, too; But to the honors they'd bestowed, He only answered \Pooh!\ Then, \justice of the peace,\ they added \And general registrar:\ To all of which, in high contetnpt, He merely vouchsafed, \Bah!\ But when at last he took them all: They knew they'd gone too far, And now they always speak of him. With sadness, as \Pooh -Bah\ Hard Hit, Regiy- Lawst night on the way home from the club a great )(lea struck Wilston -Good heavens' you don't say. I thought you showed avrriptom, of being sandbagged. An Old Flame. Nell—George has money to burn. Bell --But, alas' I haven't a spark of affection for him. Trapped. Wife—John, why to you always In- sist upon hiring a pretty typewriter? John—Oh, It's merely a matter of form. Wife—Worse and worse, you wretch! I thought it was merely a matter of face. ForiologicaL Watts There seerne to be some truth In the saying that heaven helps those who help thernselveo. Potts \Of course there Is. They are the only kind worth helping,\ A New One on the Bother -In-law. Dr. Killem- Your mother in law will have to go to a warmer ellmate, Ben Henpecked (with tears of Joy in his tllYes)—DOctor, will you perform tha operation? May—Bah' Weddln,:s are ;etch a bore! They are inte: - eeting only to two people. Lord Dedbrok Yes, to tilt , groom and his creditors. Scarcely. St. Peter—Detective, eh? We have no use for detectives. Sha y Shade —Don't you think you could oat' me as an angel in disguise? The Up -to -Date Confesalon. Priest (in confessional) Well, child, ate void here for confeasion? Bridget Mulcahy (who rends the pa- pers) (II have nothin' to say. News to Illm. Nurse—Willie, in your pravera you forgot to pray for gratolmother'a safe- ty. Willie—Has she got n bl• yele, too? in Irnnflflenr.. Marie- I'm A frtild Jack's dissipations are telling on hind Estelle Oh, no. It's his friends who are doing Till of that .fre•t the Hewers.. BillieleIgh Ito you treat your nee - rant girl RP one of the ferelly' lielpton No She treats me as onejot her family
