FRESH AIR ITEMS

William R. George.

The Cortland Democrat, Friday, July 28, 1893.

Fresh Air Items.

   The characteristics of the children who went to West Dryden (through the kindness of Mr. Arthur Baker) to eat cherries, and to have a good time, were exemplified in quite dissimilar ways. The three most prominent characters were Silas, Morris and Joe. Silas was pronounced the champion cherry picker, and as he counted the number of quarts he had picked he expressed a modest desire to send a few of the many be had picked to his parents in the city.

   Morris remembered his parents who were left at the camp, and as he came in with each succeeding pailful he would remark, "they are for my mamma."

   And Joe, did he think of any one but Joe? He came to West Dryden to eat cherries and be was going to enjoy it to the fullest extent. He had conquered all fear and was willing to climb the highest tree. He went up a victor but alas he came down vanquished, and as he laboriously wended his way to the barn his very look seemed to say, "let me sleep and forget my misery and think of cherries no more."

   The children were guests of the members of the Presbyterian church of Cortland last Sabbath. They highly enjoyed an early morning ride from Freeville. The pastor, Dr. Robertson, preached a special sermon for the children, one that they highly enjoyed. This is saying a great deal, for it takes an extraordinary minister to please the New York small boy. One boy manifested his approval by saying afterwards, "I tell you he was der boss preacher, wouldn't I like to go by his Sunday school if he was in New York."

   The children gave a few exercises in the Sunday school and were then invited to dinner by the good people of the church. On their assembly at 4:30 at the church their arms were filled with bundles of clothing, books, fruit, &c. Their comments proved beyond doubt their entire satisfaction and appreciation of their entertainment at the different houses, and the remark that one made regarding Mr. Ballard was evidently the opinion of all when he said, "Dats de man whats der kind of a gentleman everybody should be."

   Anyone desiring children for entertainment in their homes for two weeks will kindly notify Mr. Wm. R. George, Freeville, N. Y. at once, in order that he may bring them from the city on the evening of August first, with the first lot. If any parties have had children in the preceding years that they would like this summer, by notifying the children at their homes and Mr. George also, he can bring them, providing they can be met at Freeville. Let it be understood that the fresh air season proper does not open until August first. The children that we have at present are simply the Crusaders numbering about thirty. These are in training for work among the other boys and girls when they arrive next month.

   Many are the little marks of kindness shown the children; one will be related which will simply be a sample of many others. On the trip to Cortland Sunday, in passing through McLean, the children were noticed by a kind hearted lady, who made up her mind that she would make the children happy on their return. She accordingly popped several bundles of pop-corn and as they passed through McLean on their way home, were met by a pleasant faced man, the head of the household who produced the pop-corn, and he and his thoughtful wife were at once rated by the children as the right kind of people.

   It is a busy time in the camp just now and anyone thinking for a moment that it is a small matter to make ready for 250 should spend one week in the camp doing the necessary preparatory work.

   W. R. GEORGE, Supt.

Of Interest to Sportsmen.

   Local sportsmen are anxiously awaiting the time when they can go out and bag woodcock and partridge. There has been some dispute as to the date when the season opens. Section 74 of the game laws provides that woodcock and partridge shall not be pursued, shot at, hunted or killed between January 1 and August 15, except as provided by section 164. This is a general law for the state.

   Section 164 was amended by chapter 547 of the laws of 1893 and makes the season for hunting partridges open November 1 and for woodcock August 1, but section 164 of the game laws relates exclusively to the counties of Kings, Queens and Suffolk and Long Island Sound and not to the rest of the state.

   The local sportsmen will be in order August 15. The season for hunting of deer commences August 15 and closes October 31. Hounding is permitted from September 10 to October 10. No person is allowed to kill more than two deer and these cannot be transported unless accompanied by the owner. The season for trout fishing opens April 15 and closes September 1.

Dunning by Postal Card.

   Monday afternoon Deputy U. S. Marshal Black arrived in town and arrested Mr. Geo. H. Ames, the popular shoe dealer, on the charge of using the U. S. mails for improper purposes. The facts are as follows: About Christmas last, Mr. Ames sold a pair of shoes to a man residing at Whitney's Point, the party agreeing to pay for them later. He did not pay for them and some weeks since Mr. Ames sent him a postal card asking him to remit the amount. The party paid no attention to the request and some two or three weeks ago Ames sent another postal calling his attention to the matter and asking him to remit. Instead of sending the money, he made complaint before the U. S. Commissioner and Mr. Ames was arrested as above stated and taken before that officer in Binghamton. The complainant and his witnesses were sworn and the case was adjourned to Aug. 20 to enable Mr. Ames to procure necessary witnesses. He gave bail in the sum of $500.

   If there is a law on the statute books of the United States that will punish a man for asking for his just dues by mail it certainly ought to be repealed at once. The Congress that passed the law must have been composed of a large majority of dead beats and a fellow feeling for their friends seems to have made them wondrous kind. If any Judge has construed any law to mean that, unless the law plainly says as much, he too must be a sympathizer with this very large element of the inhabitants of every considerable town. Laws that sustain dead beats and assist them in defrauding hard working, frugal people who pay their honest debts, ought to be wiped off from the statute books as contrary to public policy and common decency. Such tenderness for the feelings of the dead beat is misplaced.

An Important Decision.

(From the Cortland Standard.)

   I. H. Palmer, Esq., of this village, received this morning a copy of the decision and opinion of U. S. Judge A. C. Coxe in the case of Parry Mfg. Co., of Indianapolis, Ind. against the Hitchcock Mfg. Co. and Caleb B. Hitchcock of Cortland for infringement of the Robinson patent on road carts, owned by the plaintiff. The case was a very important one to the defendants, as tens of thousands of road carts had been made by the Hitchcock company which were claimed to be infringements.

   The Robinson patent had been once sustained by a decree of Judge Brown of the Supreme Court of the United States, while circuit judge of Ohio in another case, no appearance at the trial, however, having been made by the defendant in that case. The patent, had it been sustained by Judge Coxe, would have made liable every manufacturing concern in Cortland which has built road carts.

   The case was argued before Judge Coxe at Canandaigua on June 23, after voluminous testimony taken on both sides—Hon. Wm. Eckles of St. Louis, Mo., the noted western patent lawyer, appearing for plaintiff, and I. H. Palmer and John W. Suggett, Esqrs., for defendants. The decision dismisses the plaintiff's bills with costs, and the opinion holds that the carts manufactured by defendants were not an infringement of the Robinson patent, and also that certain claims of that patent were void, having been anticipated by prior inventions.

   The plaintiff had notified the Cortland Wagon Co. that suit would be brought against it, and a number of actions instituted in different parts of the country were also awaiting the result of the one just decided. The victory of Messrs. Palmer and Suggett, therefore, means many thousand dollars to cart manufacturers all over the United States.

Death of Thomas Kennedy.

   Mr. Thomas Kennedy, an old and esteemed citizen of this village, died at his home on River-st., last Saturday evening, aged 82 years. He was born in Ireland and came to this country in 1851, stopping in Brookfield, Mass., until 1855, when he came to Cortland, where he has since resided. He was an honest, industrious, frugal citizen and accumulated considerable property. He never married. His sister Mrs. Mary Lanan, her son John, and a brother John Kennedy, survive him. The funeral was held last Monday morning from the house and at St. Mary's church.

ANOTHER ORIGIN FOR "O. K."

Now Said to Be a Colonial Corruption of a San Domingo City's Name.

   O. K. is a popular American abbreviation meaning "all right," used not only in current talk but in serious business, as in the marking of documents, etc. It is plausibly held by the Brooklyn Eagle that in early colonial days the best rum and tobacco were imported from Aux Cayes, in San Domingo. Hence the best of anything came to be known locally as Aux Cayes or O. K. The term did not, however, pass into general use until the presidential campaign of 1838, when the very much supposed illiteracy of Andrew Jackson, the democratic candidate, was the stock in trade of his Whig opponents. Seba Smith, the humorist, writing under the name of "Major Jack Downing," started the story that Jackson indorsed [sic] his papers O. K., under the impression that they formed the initials of "Oil Korrect."

   It is not impossible that the general did use this indorsement, and it was used by other people, also. But Mr. Parton discovered in the records of the Nashville court, of which Jackson was Judge before he became president, numerous documents indorsed O. R., meaning order recorded. He urges, therefore, that it was a record of that court with some belated business which Major Jack Downing saw on the desk of the presidential candidate.

   However this may be, the Democrats, in lieu of denying the charge, adopted the letters O. K. as a sort of party cry and fastened them on their banners.