1 FROM A NEW YORK STREET 1 | CORNER TO SING SING. I *( . * <P Melodrama of Real Life in a Great Cily. the police conrt a delivery wagon from the store passed and the driver recog nized him with a stare of astonish ment. He had another anxious period in the Jefferson Market building. He was soon led into court. The police man who had arrested him stood by his side, silent, stern and vengeful. "Come on," said the policeman, ad vancing a few steps. The youth found himself in front of a railing separating the little platform, or bridge, from the main floor. lie did not realize that his case was being heard when the policeman stepped on the bridge and muttered something to the magistrate in so low a tone that not one syllable reached him. He stood, waiting and wondering, when the magistrate looked at him and IT is but a short step from the street corner to the police court, and many frequenters take it. Ar rests are practical sermons for those who do not attend the churches. Junctions of streets form natural points of reunion—social clubs for men who cannot afford to pay dues. The gregarious instinct brings together those who harmonize in feelings, in oc cupation, in general interests, and It gradually comes to pass that a young fellow feels a sense of proprietorship In the pavement of the place where h's friends welcome him. While each corner group has Its spe cial tone, its marked individuality, the story of one lounger will apply, .. Ith eliglit modifications, to many others. The first of the easy steps downward may begin from any direction, but the instance to be cited is typical in the great metropolis. He was very young, not yet out of his 'teens. He had plenty of natural quickness and brightness, which had teen sharpened Into distrust by the struggle for existence, involving con tact with only the seamy side of hu manity. Short in stature and slight in physique himself, he had an over whelming respect for strength. He had drifted from pillar to post since he was left on his own resources as a lad. He had blacked boots, sold news papers, served as messenger, acted as nn apprentice in a machine shop and finally drifted into the employ of a big department store, assisting a driver and delivering bundles. He had picked up reading, writing and arithmetic, but tite only advantage he had taken of this educational foundation was to meet the requirements of his work. lie recognized the saloon keepers as powers in the land—persons who wield great influence In politics, and whose bauds consequently help to guide the affairs of the nation. He grew to envy those who lmd monef and he longed for an opportune .o waste dollars as he saw others doing. „ kSWHIKSSST 11; (~pp L'iK-i "AT*! .£=. iEr®aWtß i /rt FIRST EXPERIENCE BEHIND TRISON BARB.. lie found at his corner one evening a man who had returned from the race track with a pocketful of winnings, who was anxious to celebrate his luck by a debauch, and who sought merry company. The result was disastrous for the youth, whose brain became in flamed with liquor, and who wished to pose before his new friend. The evening was not very far ad vanced when a street light varied the monotony for passers. One blow felled the eider man. who lay stunned on the sidewalk. A policeman who had been standing across, the street could not avoid seeing the occurrence, and hur ried over to stop the now frightened youth, who resisted arrest until sub dued by a few violent strokes of the night stick. Ho then became very penitent, and with tears in his tones begged for release. He had, however, gone too far, and, with his late an tagonist by his tfide, he started for the police station. The youth hung his head when lie beard the change preferred against him. lie answered the questions put to hiui, giving his name, age, resi dence, occupation, his parents' name and the fact that he could read. He was led through a room in which sat several policemen, whose faces were familiar to him; he passed through nil iron gate down a few steps, and ihen he was shoved into a cell aiul the grated door clanged be tiiiul him. When daylight finally ap peared, he felt disheveled, dirty anil Wisroputable. The doorman came around and ripened the cells, the ponderous key grating in the lucks and the hinges grinding in a manner that would dis tract a nervous person. Again the youth walked through the sergeant's quarters. He weut right on and IN JKKfCIWON MAItKKT COOItT. HOAMDISO TIIAiN FUU HINCI BISO. ■if|i|>«H| tulo tin* patrol WHifuu with • •titer uiilui uiiiHit'*. 'l'lie bom-* NiurleiJ ou a clattering krut 'iiul lie |ttt>rei| out Ml tin- atfcel MWwuy beiwtvu Uiu •luoouUoiue Biui | LOAJINO ON THE STREET OOBNEB. " " asked, "What have you to say to this charge?" lie had Intended to say many things, but his tongue was silent and his brain was in a whirl. The magistrate, with kindly face, but an abrupt, severe manner, resumed: "Come, now, what have you to say for yourself? The officer says you were drunk and fighting and that you attacked him when he approached you. He says you are one of a gang of loaf ers who give a great deal of trouble to the police." Anger made the youth's face flush. This was more than he had expected. "He's a liar," he cried, • "and I'll get even with him." He could not keep back the profanity to which be was accustomed. The magistrate held up his hand in warning and, as the pris oner stopped, said in an undertone: "Ten dollars." This was a crushing blow for the young man, who had assumed that the night in jail would complete his punishment, lie bail been thinking of running up to the store to his work, and he had made up his mind to im plore the driver who had seen hiiu in the patrol wagon not to mention the fact to any one. As he did not have $lO to pay the line the alternative was imprisonment. He was one of ten crowded into the Maria, a cell-like wagon with peep holes and small shutters to admit air. There was a long jolt over the cobble stones to the east side, and then the door was opened and be stepped oui upon a pier. The Brennan carried him by the vast castlelike structure of gray stone on the southern extremity of Blaekwell's Island to the landing pier further north. He bad not realized before that t lie island was so large. He looked about hiiu with curiosity, wondering which of the buildings was the peni tentiary. He was led there, and when he reached the office his pedigree was again taken. Prison life was dismal, but by no means as bad as he had imagined. He was assigned to a comparatively easy task—assisting the bakers. He pulled a little wacou loaded with flour from the storehouse to the ovens, and when the long, crisp loaves were ready he I took theiu away. The work was no j worse than any other in the line of routine; the only objection was the I ever present sense of restraint and supervision by day, the locking of the cell door by night. The ten days dragged slowly by and I lie was restored to freedom, lie was 1.-H HI the wilier fr<»i* shortly after four o'clock iu Hit* afternoon. and In* luiuieit lately *lll el id fur the More tu •in If It** could recover lil* employ- UMBi lilt ylttCC had bvou tfeti U I soon as bis Imprisonment becamfl known, and ho was gruffly Informed that he was not wanted. The ensuing fortnight brought a se ries of crushing disappointments. It seemed Impossible for him to obtain steady work of any kind. He loitered in saloons trying to pick up odd jobs that would keep bis body and soul together, and he slept on docks and open lots, wherever he found a chance to escape observation. lie grew desperate as time passed, and he would have been willing to take any chance to get money. Visions of loot and plunder tilled his mind, the only question was, what he should do. He did not know where to begin, as he lacked experience in crime. He helped a drunken man to his home one night, and on the way paid himself for his trouble by taking what money he could find—a handful of change amounting to about $2. There had been so little difficulty about this theft that he wondered that he had not made a similar attempt be fore, and he spent the following even ing looking for persons under the In fluence of liquor. His eyes glittered when be saw the fat roll oW green backs pulled out by a man paying for a drink; this fellow was taking fre quent potations, but was by no means helpless. In fact, lie could take care of himself, even though his legs wab bled and he lurched toward the curb when he came into the open air. He walked up a side street aiul stopped by a stoop, as though in doubt whether he should enter the house. There was no other person in sight, though the hour was quite early, and the young man who followed conclud ed to make a supreme effort to get the roll of bills, lie brought a heavy stick he had been carrying down with crushing force upon the head of his intended victim, felling him. Then lie jumped 011 him and grabbed the bills from the waistcoat pocket. There was a fierce light on the ground and the older and heavier man finally got on top and, pinning the other down, shrieked for the police. When the youth was taken to the police station he was recognized by the sergeant. The charge against him tills time was highway robbery, and conviction did not mean a few da.vs iu A RI9B IN' THE BLACK MARIA. the penitentiary, but several years in State prison. lie was held by the police magistrate and sent to the Tombs to await the action of the Grand Jury. His photograph was added to the collection known as the Itogue's Gallery, which includes like nesses of thousands of criminals. He learned that he had been In dicted, and then one morning he was led across the Bridge of Sighs to the Criminal Court liuildlug and taken before n judge of the Court of Gener al Sessions to plead. It was almost useless for liini to say "Not guilty," but, as a matter of form, he did so. The case was so clear that It re quired but an hour to try and the re sult was conviction. The sentence im posed two days later was imprison ment at hard labor in Sing Sing for eight years and six months. It mi happened that the .voting high* wayt'ian was the only convict booked for State prison that day.lit! was taken from Hie Tombs with his right wrist handcuffed to I lie left wrist rf a deputy sheriff. They boarded a north bound Fourth avenue car in Centre street and went to the Grand Central station, entering through the | forty second street gateway, ordin arily reserved for arrivals. They walked to the smoking car and took their placi s, looking through the win dow as a score of laughing girls bound fur the Ai Juicy <olf links rushed to ward the train. The bell rang and t! ~ prisoner wits oa his way to Siug Siag. -New York i let aid. Ilxirralwl Artur». "Some of tin- 'celebrated' actors now on tile stage of Kugland and America ought to Is- at school, learning the a b c of their profession," says Hronson Howard iu the Century. "Men and women like them iu the next genera tion. If our schools and great teachers make their full luiluenee felt, will have no place uu the stage at all, The public will say to tliciu: 'Go and Itaru your business Hrst, as other peuyUt Uo, aud tUiU cvuiv 'jack to us.'" j LAMP WITH A HISTORY. ] A Mifflit Be Written Around | This Interesting Antique. I An odd lamp of ancient pattern and with an Interesting history is owned by Brinton Woodward, of Consho hocken, Penn. Its actual age is large ly a matter of conjecture. Mr. Woothvord's great-grandfather, Captain AValter Woodward, who was , touring Africa in quest of animal spe ! cies for the lloyal British Zoological Society obtained the lamp from a par tially civilized inhabitant. The Afri can was wandering about in groat dis tress for want of food, and on seeing AN ANCIENT IRON LAMP. the Captain and his party went down upon his knees. By aid of an inter preter it was learned that the poor fel low was starving to death, and on re ceiving provisions from Woodward lie gave him the lamp as a token of grati tude. After satisfying the pangs of hunger, the native then told :i long story of the lamp, with which lie seemed loath to part. The substance of it was that the lamp had been used to illuminate the family hovel for fifty years. It hung from the rocky celling and each night the family "circled" under it and worshipped their god. !>eath j.ad taken off all but himself and he cherished the lamp as a remem brance of happier days. ' Captain Woodward left the lamp to his son, who came to America about 1770. He died in 1802 and it passed down to its present owner. The Africans burned grease obtained from animals in it, with a piece of bamboo for a wick, but ordinary eoal oil and a thick lamp wick can also be used. There is a groove in the spout like part for holding the wick in place, and a slide in the top which can be I opened and closed. Displaces the Oars. I Heretofore paddle -v heels have some times been employed in the place of oars on pleasure boats, an entire revo lution of the paddles and cranks being necessary, but the operator had only one advantageous point in the entire revolution where he could exert any amount of power, and lhat was when j the crank was being drawn toward him. The speed gained at that mo -1 raent was parMally lost in ihe re mainder of the cycle. As an improve ! incut on the paddle wheel P- * ■! U. Sheen has designed the appan viere ! shown. A pair of cranks are Mied ; to the inner end of short rod] icil in sleeves on the gunwale of the .mat. [ At the outer ends of the rods are sc i cured frames carrying the paddle blades, with a series of spokes eou- I necting 'lie rods and blades in such j a manner that a forward movement of the crank closes the blades against the frame and offers no resistance to ! the water in the return stroke. As | soon as the cranks are pulled toward r~ - PROPELLING MECHANISM FOR BOATS. 1 the operator again the blades open and 1 begin to act ou the water. By the aul i of ropes wound on the shafts and ! running to a foot plate a greater lever age can be exerted. It will be ob served that the Inventor has obtained , a device by which the operator can . face the bow <>f the boat, ami the ar ! rniigcnu'iit of the mechanism is such ; thai the greatest advantage of lever ' ago without excess motion ore ob- I tallied. All Kh*«v on llabit. i A schoolmaster once said to his pu , pils that io the boy who would make | the licM piece of composition in live I minutes on "How to overcome habit," ' lie would give a prize. When the live 1 minutes im,i expired a lad of nine years stood up and said: "Well, sir, habit is hard to overeouie. If you take off ihe tirst letter It does not i change 'abli.' H you take off another ! you si ill have a 'hit' left. If you take ' off MI 111 another, the whole OF 'it' re mains. If you take mi another it ia not totally i sed up, all of which goes to alow that If you want to get rid ol j a haliit you must fliroiv It off tillo gethec."— lUsult — lie wuu It. try*} A Small Story. Eight small children for busy Boss— Eight to l'eeri and wash dress. Four siiiall girls and four small boys In one small house make no small noise; And so, to have them out of the way, She's sent tliein off to the woods to play. "Don't quarrel, nor tease, scr fret, nor frown. But come back home when the sun is down. And if you see the chipmunk small, I)on't throw stones at him—that is all; For lie's just as busy as he can be. And 1 know how that is, myself," said she. —Joy Allison, in St. Nicholas. House of Delight for Children. Fairmount park, Philadelphia, lias a children's play house which has been open for 15 months. One thousand children have been entertained there In a single duy, but 350 Is the average number. Boys over ten are barred. All other children are welcome. The house is fitted with swings, sec-saws, wagons and tricycles for the older ones, nml hammocks, baby jumpers, rocking horses and building blocks for tlie younger ones. For the little ones who are too young to walk a big creep ing pad is provided. In the sand pa villion are twelve tons of white sand. Fbr those who meet with injury a trained nurse is in attendance to ad minister consolation and necossary treatment. The institution was bequeathed by Air. and .Mis. Richard Smith. A .Surprised Cat. Several days ago five or six sparrows were pecking away in the gutter im mediately in front of aq engine-house, when a cat crept across the street and pounced upon one of them. Instantly the victim's companion sent up a war cry, which was as instantly answered. From the housetop and tree the spar rows flocked to the scene. With whir ring, hissing cries of noisy rage, they fearlessly attacked the offender. For abaut 30 seconds the dazed cat en dured the blows from perhaps a hun dred beaks and twice as many beating wings. Then, still holding her prey, she struggled away from the infuria ted birds, and ran into the engine house. The plucky little fellows fol lowed her inside, but soon gave up the chase, leaving her with her dearly bought dinner, a sadder but a wiser cat. Knclnnd's Urst Parliament. January 20 is memorable in English history as the date of the first meeting of the first parliament, an assembly which corresponds to the national con gress of the United States. This great English reform took place in the year 12(55, in Westminster hall, which still is in existence. This first of British national legislative bodies in which the common people were represented consisted of two knights, or noblemen, from each county and two citizens from each borough or township. The election and service of the citizens representing the common people (•*,< distinguished from the nobles) in this parliament was the tirst clear admis sion by the government that the citi zens liad a right to take part in making thelawsnnd managing the affairs of the country. Thus we see that hundreds of years before the birth of the United States the principles on which our republic was founded were recognized nnd put into partial operation in Great Britain. Strancre IMscoverie* in Afri< m. The problem of bow the apple got into the dumpling sinks into insignifi cance beside that of the jellyfish, the crustaceans and Lake Tanganyika; but J. E. S. Moore, who recently returned from Central Africa, believes he has discovered how the fish from the sea got into the lake ill the middle of the c •• tiiient. Mr. Moore is one of the young men at the Itoyal College of Science, South Kensington. He was leader of an ex pedition largely subsidized by the Roy ill Geographical society, and after a year's march of over 2000 miles, from the Zambesi to Uganda, lie has come back with hundreds of specimens and several important additions to the knowledge of Central Africa. He has encountered cannibals, vol canoes and glaciers and scaled tin ice clad peak called "Sltchwi," in the Rn wciizori mountulr#. or Mountains of the Moon, at a height of about Hi,so') feet. The nio'iutaln took ten days to climb. The peaks of the range are covered with ice to a depth of hun dreds of feet, for the snow nidla in the day and freezes at night. Mr. Moore and the 20 I'jljl boys who accompanied him lived on goats dur ing the ascent and tit scent, driving the goats and Killing them when food was wanted. The UJIJI boys were so struck with the phenomenon of ice that they tried to carry bits down to I'jiJl. The tropical sun nearly boiled the Ice on the way. Hot ween Tanganyika and I.ake Al bert Ed ward Is a lake called Klvu. The best atlas published gives It as about one tenth tile size Of Albert Kd wartl. Mr. Moore, who was accom panied by M.ileum I'Vrgussou, gcologlar nml geographer, found that Klvu U larger than Albert Edward. The north end of Tanganyika was found to he ,'rl miles westward of its ascribed posi tion. It was between this lake and Klvu lhat the cunuibaU were met They arc tall, light-colored men, more tike Arabs than negroes, ami are born thelvea. Tboy gave much trouble and killed two or three bearers, but Mr. Moore never had to tight them out right. The primary object of the expedition wiih to dredge and Hound the laken with reference to the marine forms which Mr. Moore found there four years ago. The question was whether the jellyfish and crustaceans origi nally got into Tanganyika by way of the Nile or the Congo. Having deter mined that these marine species are to be found in none of the lakes north of Tanganyika, Mr. Moore believes that Tanganyika was once joined to the sea by way of a great basin in the Congo State. When Tanganyika was left high, if not dry, in the center of Africa, the jellyfish and crustaceans of the '-sea remained behind and their descendants are flourishing today. They lave 1) 'en there many thousands of years, for fossils they resemble are to be found below the chalk level. Inn* clh in Winter, A littie boy once asked bir. father It the house liies went South for the winter, like the birds; and then his father told him a long story about different insects and what became of them during the cold months. lie told the boy that when autumn comes the dentil knell of millions of flics has sounded. They do not pre pare for winter as many other insects do. The majority die, and their little bodies are blown away by the passing breeze. A few hardy flies will linger in cracks in the wails, creep under the <loor frames or into ere vie: s; in the woodwork, and some naturalists he lieve that these few lingering tiirs are the parents of the multitude that ap pear in the warm days of June, for they lay thousands of rggs. Katydids, grasshoppers, crickets and beetles are killed by the l'rost, and th<: eggs which they hide in the ground or conceal in the bark of trees fur nish ihe supply for tlie next year Those hatch out in the warm days of spring. Beetles exhibit a wonderful Instinct in caring for their eggs during winter. Among some specifs the eggs arc rolled in balls of material suitable for food, and then the balls are packed away in a nest until the infant beetle wakes up and eat.s its way out. Then there are the 'Vexton" beetles, which deposit their eggs in the bodies of dead birds or field mice, after which they set to work and perform the proper rites of burial, heaping the earth upon the body of the dead. The young beetle, when hatched from the egg. finds a store of food awaiting its arrival in the world. It is said that the spiders store away no food supply in winter quarters. Quantities of eggs arc laid and care fully sheltered in velvety cobweb sacks that defy the weather. These sacks may be found swinging by silken ropes from the goldenrod and milkweed, and hidden away in crevices and corners of board fences and stone walls. The little spiders creep from their cosey sleeping bags which the wise mother has provided for them, and if they uscape their cannibal brothers and sisters they enter at once on a career of trapping and hunting. liees and wasps lay up stores fot the winter, the wasps not as carefully as the bees, but in the centre of th.' cone shaped nest of the paper making wasps may b.? found goodly stores of honey. The thrifty ant deserves much sym pathy, in that it is a dainty morsel for spiders, beetles, crickets and other in f.ect hunters. A few ants may sur vive and feed on avctimulat d stores during the winter, but it is chiefly th" eggs and cocoons hidden away in the secure underground chambers of thi: ant hill rhat furnish the ant popula tion of the following summer. The ant's care of its young, the management of its slaves, and the tiny insect cows which they capture and from which the honcydew is milked, all would furnish a tale as interesting as the customs of any wandering tribe of the desert or any lost nation of darkest Africa.—New York Tribune. Curiowitle* in I ondon. Country things which flourish in London have b -en receiving a good deal of attention of late. At the pres ent time there may be seen a number of line luin« in > of fast-ripening black grapes on the south wall of the Hos pital for Incurable Children, at Cliel- S(-.i. No doubt the poor mites within will he enjoying them before long. In a garden at the King's road end of I'lood street, Chelsea, there Is n mulberry tree which iias this year borne a fine crop of fruit. It was picked during th" present month. Mul berries are not always to be obtained In London, and they are expensive This, by tlie way, has been a good year fur uinib Tries in various parts of tin country. They have been allowed ti fall from the trees and rot 011 the ground In some places. The reed harvest !• nail matter but not one to be ifi,, ,cr overlooked 111 district* win re this tall, handsome plant nourishes. The mowers are now among tln- reeds, which go down be fore the old fashioned scythe. They are bound up In sheaves like the corn, and when dry stacked an I u*c«j uh tbej inv required f»>r thatching purposes.— London U* press. In the remote parts of Scotland the old Covenanter*' love for long vices on the bare hillsides still linger*. At IMngwall a recent communion a*r vice in the open air lasted fioiu 19 a. m. until 4 p. 111.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers