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The ultimate optimist…
May 7, 2011 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
I’ve always enjoyed reading the editorial on page 2 of the “Richmond Examiner” newspaper, as the bias shown by the writer was often strongly in favor of the Confederate cause. But in the issue of July 25, 1863 the editor stretched his optimist about as far as it could reach. With the Confederate failure at Gettysburg and their advance into the North stopped, all might have seemed hopeless for the Confederate forces. But the editor tried to put a positive spin on the events by stating:
“…failed by a single accident, by a single mistake–that sad one at Gettysburg…But after all, the depression which its failure produced on the public mind was more than was warrantable. The result was not a defeat, it was not a loss; it was only not a victory, not one of the most brilliant triumphs ever recorded. It was little else than a disappointment of extraordinary expectations…”.
Please enjoy…
The Traveler… election time of the year… Standard Oil anti-trust case…
May 2, 2011 by The Traveler · Leave a Comment
As I began to venture into my travels, I remembered that we are also heading into a lot of the preliminary voting times. This led me to The Woman’s Journal which, as stated underneath the title, was the “Official Organ of the National American Woman Suffrage Association” founded by Lucy Stone and Henry B. Blackwell in 1870. The issue I selected was not for today’s date, but for May 27, 1911 when they announced that they would be hold their National Suffrage Convention in October. It was not until 1920 that women received the right to vote. Fifty years of persistence paid off!!
Also within the issue is an article pertaining to the recent ruling of the Standard Oil anti-trust case which dissolved Standard Oil. An interesting statement was.. “The Standard Oil trust, nominally dissolved, will no doubt recombine in a slightly different form and continue to do business at the old stand, and will raise the price of oil enough to cover its law expenses.” Shocking, right?!?!
~The Traveler
Eerie coincidences…
April 25, 2011 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
The “”Southern Illustrated News” was a somewhat failed attempt by the Confederacy to bring to its citizens an illustrated newspaper similar to “Harper’s Weekly” and “Leslie’s Illustrated“. Although the presumed feature of the Dec. 5, 1863 issue was the front page engraving & biography of Captain William Downs Farley, time caused several innocuous items on the back page to intrigue the historical collector.
The back page has several reports which bring together many of the names involved in the Lincoln assassination that would happen more than a year in the future. Under the theatrical reports is mention that: “…Laura Keene, Mr. & Mrs. Charles Walcott…lately formed an alliance known as ‘Laura Keen’s Combination & have been t
raveling through the Northern States…On Monday last huge posters were put out announcing the ‘American Cousin’ with Charles Walcott in one of the principal parts…” Remember that Laura Keene starred in “Our American Cousin”, the performance at Ford’s Theatre the evening of the assassination. Also on the back page: “Edwin Booth is playing in Boston supported by Mrs. Anna Cornell & Mr. Marshall.” He was the brother of John Wilkes Booth. Even his name is here, performing at Ford’s Theatre no less: “The present week is announced as the last of J. Wilkes Booth…at Ford’s New Theatre, Washington, D.C.” And a bit further on is even mention of the President: “…preparatory to his appearance at Richmond in the character of one of President Lincoln’s special peace envoys as already announced…” (see). This single page brings together the names Laura Keene, the play “Our American Cousin”, John Wilkes Booth, Abraham Lincoln, and Ford’s Theatre, an almost eerie coincidence, particularly for a Confederate newspaper.
The Traveler… Madison Square Garden being sold… big shoes to fill…
April 7, 2011 by The Traveler · Leave a Comment
Today I traveled to Boston, Massachusetts, by means of the Christian Science Monitor dated April 7, 1911. I was very surprised to find a photo headline “View In Madison Square Garden, Just Sold” with the article “Dispose of Madison Square Garden for Big Skyscraper Site”. Since I have personally visited Madison Square Gardens in my travels, I had to do some Googling for more information on this matter. I have found that there have actually been four Madison Square Gardens!! This was the second location and was located where the current New York Life Insurance building is located.
A second page article entitled “No ‘Famous Man’ for Princeton” caught my eye. “Princeton University has been searching the country for some ‘famous man’ to succeed Governor Wilson as president, but most of the famous ones ‘are already taken up.'” I guess when succeeding the Governor [and yet to become the US President!] those are big shoes to fill…
~The Traveler
The “experts” don’t always get it right…
March 28, 2011 by GuyHeilenman · 2 Comments
We recently unearthed two different newspapers which scream the reality “the experts are often wrong”. The first report was an early review of “Gone With The Wind” which was not favorable (issue #580564). The 2nd was a statement concerning Babe Ruth which occurred soon after he was traded to The New York Yankees which questioned whether he would be an impact player (issue #581104). Interestingly enough, the opinion was given by Billy Evans, one of the most famous umpires (and member of the Hall of Fame) of all time. Feel free to comment on similar finding of your own. In the meantime, enjoy the reports:
Gone With The Wind…
Babe Ruth…
It never caught on…
March 26, 2011 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
This “Novel Hydraulic Railway Locomotive” made the front page of “Scientific American” on Feb. 10, 1877, with a descriptive article which begins: “A new mode of traveling has lately been invented…”. Apparently it never caught on:
The Traveler… Booker T. Washington facing court… “Reach out, reach out and touch someone”…
March 24, 2011 by The Traveler · Leave a Comment
A few days ago I traveled to New York City through the New York Tribune dated March 21, 1911 (I’m running a little behind schedule). The front page of the issue carries the report of “Dr. (Booker T.) Washington Too Ill To Go To Court”. I found that this was an interesting assault case between Dr. Washington and Henry A. Ulrich, re: who attacked whom. I had to google this case to find the verdict. What I found was that this case/verdict has become known for extreme injustice due to Mr. Ulrich acquittal. However, he was re-arrested in the courtroom for desertion of his wife!
Also in this issue is the reporting of the funeral for John B. M’Donald, the builder of the subway system in New York… I guess he made his final stop.
Do you remember when you actually were able to talk with a “live” operator when calling information? When Henry McGinn reached the operator and conversation ensued, he found that the operator was his sister whom he had not seen or heard from for seventeen years! A reunited relationship occurred from the “reach out, reach out and touch someone…” archives.
~The Traveler
A proportionate reward…
March 19, 2011 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
Sometimes we read things which drive home the futility of human wisdom. Solomon would certainly have cringed at the following verdict which appeared in the “Democratic Watchman” newspaper from Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, dated February 23, 1877:
It’s all relative…
March 12, 2011 by TimHughes · Leave a Comment
The following item reflects court costs from 1877, fees which are very much in the distant past. But it’s all relative. While the cost may have outweighed the benefit, sometimes things are still worth fighting for – on matters of principle. This appeared in the “Democratic Watchman” newspaper from Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, dated February 16, 1877:
The Traveler… Maine becoming a state?… the horses know the way!…
March 10, 2011 by The Traveler · Leave a Comment
This week’s journey found me with the Middlesex Gazette issue dated March 7, 1811. This contained a headline “Another New State” in which the District of Maine (a part of the state of Massachusetts) had held a Convention in Boston and voted 56 to 18, that “it is expedient to take the sense of the people on a separation from Old Massachusetts.” However, they did not obtain their statehood until nine years later as part of the Missouri Comprise.
An amusing story (see below) is of a Coachman, who while fetching some straw for his seat, found his horses leaving without him. They proceeded to the next place (with the coachman in chase) and stopped as they would normally do. A countryman entered and called “go on!” and the horses took off again at full speed to the next place, four miles away. Early auto-pilot?
~The Traveler