NOVELTY WORKS

Cortland Semi-Weekly Standard, Friday, November 30, 1894.

NOVELTY WORKS.

JOHN W. HAMILTON SAYS IT IS A SURE THING.

Hon. L. J. Fitzgerald Interested—Site at the D., L. & W. Crossing Between Cortland and Homer.

   There seems to be little question now but what Hamilton’s Hardware Novelty works, previously mentioned in The STANDARD, will be a sure thing and will be one of the principal means of the boom prophesied for Cortland. We are informed by Mr. Hamilton that Hon. Lawrence J. Fitzgerald, president of the Cortland Wagon Co,, has interested himself and heads the list by a subscription of $1,000 of stock and will furnish a site for the shops which are to be located near the D., L. & W. crossing between Cortland and Homer. In this location the factory will be on the electric street car line and be very convenient when an intended switch is built for shipping on the D., L. & W.

   Mr. Hamilton quotes Mr. Fitzgerald as saying that he believes there is large money in his (Mr. Hamilton’s) line of goods and that he has no doubt of its success and that it will pay a good dividend, Mr. Hamilton tells The STANDARD that there will be an eight per cent dividend guaranteed from the time that the factory is in operation and that the bonus will go to pay the dividend the first three years.

What Dryden’s Woolen Mill is Doing.

   The Dryden woolen mill is making some large pieces of cloth since the new looms were set up. One piece shipped this week measured 110 yards by 64 inches wide and weighed 185 pounds. It went to Providence, R. I., where Mr. Dolge has large annual contracts for this class of goods to be used in the manufacture of “clothing” for carding machines. The mill is also turning out some very fine beaver overcoatings, cheviots, flannels, etc., as well as the beautiful scarlet piano cloth, on which the mill is now running day and night.—Dryden Herald.

From Brooklyn Bridge.

   New York, Nov. 27.— At daybreak to-day a daring young Englishman named Harry Menier jumped from the centre of the Brooklyn bridge and by a parachute performed the feat successfully. Considering the season of the year and other circumstances, it was perhaps the most daring of the three successful bridge jumps on record. Menier says he feels as well as he ever did in his life and is none the worse for his jump.

JOHN Y. MCKANE.

Court of Appeals Affirms the Decision of the Lower Courts.

   ALBANY, N. Y., Nov. 27.—The court of appeals to-day affirmed the judgment of the lower court in the case of The People vs. John Y. McKane, appellant, who was indicted jointly with John W. Murphy, Morton Morris and John Brownhill. This was an appeal from a judgment of the general term, affirming a judgment of conviction for felony rendered in the court of Oyer and Terminer of Kings county. McKane was indicted for procuring the inspectors of election in the first district of Gravesend at the November election in 1893 to violate the provisions of the election law, which required them to keep the registry lists of that district accessible to the public. Upon this verdict a judgment of conviction was rendered and he was sentenced to imprisonment in Sing Sing prison for six years at hard labor, which sentence he is now serving. McKane was the first to be indicted under the new section of the election law.

   The opinion is written by Judge O ’Brien. He says the appeal presents no substantial question that would justify this court in interfering with the verdict, and the judgment must therefore be affirmed.

A Bright Little Book.

   Mr. Marcus A. Miller, the first secretary of the Cortland Desk Co., who was very well known in Cortland a few years ago, has lately published a bright little work entitled “Is a Man Worth as Much as a Horse?” Two of the questions which are raised in the book are what makes him worth more, or less. The whole is simmered, sifted and spiced. It is a condensed report of the federal labor commissioner upon the great [Pullman] strike. It is worthy to be read by every one.

Work on the Electric Road.

   Work is being pushed rapidly upon the electric road on Main-st. Two tracks are to be laid from in front of Hubbard’s grocery to the corner of Groton-ave. The tracks are to be placed so far apart this fall that the sewers can be built between them and when that is completed some time next summer the two tracks can he slipped up near together [sic] without much trouble.

PAGE FOUR—EDITORIALS.

New York Bank Defalcations.

   During the past fifteen years the banks of New York have lost nearly $4,300,000 by eighteen defalcations. The greatest robbery was that of John C. Eno, who, while president of the Second National bank, appropriated $3,000,000, as was revealed when the affairs of the institution were investigated in 1884. The next greatest was that of John T. Hill, president of the Ninth National. In 1891 it transpired that he had stolen $450,000.  The theft of $350,000 by Bookkeeper Seely of the Shoe and Leather bank comes next. In 1878 Augustus M. Turney, a teller in the Bank of North America, was found to be $100,000 short. In 1888 C. J. DeBaun, cashier of the Park bank, was a defaulter for $95,000. Other thefts were: In 1893, by Benjamin G. Sandford, correspondence clerk of the Continental National, $53,000; in 1878, John P. Hows, bookkeeper of the Merchants’ and Manufacturers’, $38,000; in 1894, James Hagen, bookkeeper of the American Exchange National, $33,000; in 1891, Henry P. Wiltshaw, bookkeeper of the United States National, $32,000; in 1881, George W. Hunt, teller of the Importers’ and Traders’, $17,000; in 1891, Frederick E. Eggar, discount clerk of the Tradesmen’s National, $16,000; in 1893, Alexander Elsberg, bookkeeper, and Carl Alrecht, teller, of the State bank, $15,000; in 1894, John R. Tait, teller of the Chemical National, $15,000; in 1894, David Morgan, coupon clerk of the bank of the Republic, $10,000; in 1893, Bernard Weisberger, private banker, $5,000; in 1892, W. G. Mago, messenger of the Bank of Commerce, $2,000; in 1888, John H. Stafford, teller of the Nineteenth Ward National…

   In view of the immense sums of money handled by the New York banks and the strong temptations and opportunities besetting officials and employees, the above record is really not as bad as might naturally be expected.

  

◘ The Russian Transsiberian railway is going to be of some benefit to the United States if the cable correspondents have not been at their usual lying tricks. They telegraph that the Amur Steamship company, which is going to connect with the Transsiberian railway in Russia, will land its freight and passengers on American shores at the port of Everett, Wash. Everett, Wash., will immediately have a boom if this is true, and it will be a good thing for the whole country. The tide of summer tourists will in time set west instead of east, and they will take their outing in Siberia.

◘ Would it not be just as well for the United States to attend to its own affairs and let Japan make her own terms with the nation she is conquering? If, for instance, we were engaged in a war with Mexico or Spain or any other nation—which heaven forbid—would we not take it as a piece of impudence if Japan should offer to settle the differences between us and tell us what we must do? The colored brother’s eleventh commandment comes in good play here. For those who have forgotten what that was one may remark that it was this: “Mind your own business.”

BREVITIES.

   —The Cortland County Teachers’ association will meet in the Normal chapel on Saturday, Dec. 8, 1894.

   —The work on the electric railway was pushed through the storm Wednesday, and at 8 o’clock that afternoon the track was laid to Court-st. Six horses are required to plough up the ditch.

   —The muddy Cortland streets of the past few days call to mind the wisdom of the South Kensington lady who was recently seen in the street with a parcel in one hand, an umbrella in the other, and an Irish terrier holding the trail of her dress with his teeth. He never let the dress touch the ground. Some dogs are good for something.

   —It would be very difficult to find a more healthy place than Cortland this fall. A glance at the vital statistics in another column show that there were but six deaths in October and none of those from any prevailing or contagious diseases. And in November up to the 26th day only three deaths had been reported at the health officer’s office, which indicates a better record than that of October.

   —It is reported that eight inches of snow fell at Freeville yesterday. Cortland has not been heard from. Snowed in, possibly.—Ithaca Journal, Tuesday. Cortland had about two inches, but judging from the heavy snow fall at Freeville and knowing that every bit of that would be rain in tropical Ithaca, the supposition was that the university city was drowned out and there would be no use in reporting to it the Cortland snowfall.

Vital Statistics.

   Health Officer W. J. Moore gives the following report for the month of October: Deaths 6—males 4, females 2; nativity—United States 6; social condition—single 3, married 2, widowed 1; ages—under one year 2, between twenty and thirty years 1, between seventy and eighty years 1, between eighty and ninety years 2; causes of death—cholera infantum 1, bronchitis 1, consumption 1, convulsions 1, heart disease 2; births 9—males 3, females 6; marriages 2.

PREBLE.

   PREBLE, Nov. 26.—In the issue of The Standard of Nov. 23 there is related an occurrence in Preble which up on careful inquiry I think needs some explanation. Dr. Hunt keeps a bull dog in his store nights and on the morning referred to, in the article entitled “Thought He was a Burglar,” Gordon, the assistant postmaster, who with his family occupies rooms in the second story, came down to dispatch the early mail. He found that Joe, the dog, had got his appetite for human blood whetted to a keen edge. After looking the store over carefully and finding nothing disturbed Mr. Gordon had succeeded in calming the dog when the mail messenger called for the mail bag. A stranger also came in. He said he was a fisherman, had been there a short time before and sought admission, but failed to get in. This satisfied Mr. Gordon as to why the dog was so excited.

   The fisherman stated that he had provided himself with all the latest and most modern appliances for persuading the finny inhabitants of the deep from their most secret hiding places, yet he was possessed of that fear so common to all fishermen that his luck might not be all that he desired and if so he feared he would be very much depressed and possibly that depression might result in heart failure. Therefore he thought it advisable to take with him some restorative that he might use it promptly. He said that a commercial traveler, who sells goods for a Rochester house, had informed him that he could procure the necessary restorative at the drug store in Preble.

   Mr. Gordon very politely informed him that at one time they did handle that line of goods, but since putting the postoffice into the store they had dropped them . He also very kindly told him that he could get the restorative at the hotel at a very reasonable price and as the proprietor is an expert fisherman, he would no doubt instruct him as to its use free of charge.

   The fisherman left apparently in high glee, not knowing that the watch dog had been anxious to make a breakfast of him. 

   Mr. Gordon was very much surprised in reading the article in question to know that the fisherman thought he was not well used, for Mr. Gordon cannot think the fisherman had been using any restorative before he reached the store. But if he will call next time he is in Preble, Mr. Gordon will make such amends as the exigencies of the case may require.

   NOZY. [pen name of local correspondent.]