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About The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 1938)
ADVENTURERS* CLUB HEADLINES FROM THE LIVES OF PEOPLE LIKE YOURSELFI The Monster in the Box Hello everybody: It seems to me, boys and girls, that all the interest ing characters in the world are flocking to this corner of ours to tell us the big experiences of their lives. Take, for instance, Moe Aarons of New York City. Moe has been a circus man for most of his life, and for a good part of that time he has held down one of the most intriguing jobs in the circus business. And did Moe lead the band, or swing the flying trapeze, or whiten up his face and do a clown act in the big arena? Not on your life. Moe didn't even travel with the show. For 25 years he has toured the Far East looking for animals with which to stock the menagerie. In that time, Moe has seen plenty, and had plenty of things happen to him. But none of his experiences can ever touch the one he had in October, 1931, with a 20-foot monster from the dark jungles of Burma. Python Twenty-Six Feet Long. “I was taking a cargo of unhandlcd snakes,” says Moe, "from Singapore to France on the passenger steamer Az Reveau. The snakes were pythons of extraordinary size, some of them as long as 26 feet, as big around as a stovepipe, and capable of crushing horses to death in their coils. They were kept in wooden boxes four feet square, and I made regular rounds to see that they were all secure, for the steamer carried 800 people, crew included, and I realized my responsibility in safeguarding them from my reptiles.” Hut one day, to his consternation, Moe round one or his biggest pythons gone. To save his life he couldn’t understand how that snake got out of his box—but at the moment that was the least of his worries. The thing to do was to find the reptile and get him back In the case again. Moe hurried to the captain, told him not to worry and asked for a few sailors to help recapture the snake. The captain assigned three sailors to help Moe. Moe searched the vessel for three hours before he found the python, on a shelf in a seclud ed corner of the deck. ‘‘There he lay," says Moe, "with his tongue going in and out of his mouth like lightning. There was something un He managed to get the loop over the snake's head. canny about his appearance. I was chilled at the sight. But the one thought in my mind was to get him back in his box as soon as possible. I got a stout stick about eight feet long, attached a rope-loop con trivance at one end, and instructed the sailors to pull the rope tight as soon as I got the loop over the reptile's head.” Moe advanced on the snake, stick extended. He was being careful not to get too close, lest the python strike and get him in its crushing coils. He got the loop over the reptile's head and yelled, ‘'Bull!” While the sailors held the rope tight, Moe dragged the python down from the shelf, fell on him and grabbed his head. Then he turned to shout further orders to the sailors. Sailors Left Him Holding the Python! To his dismay, they had let go of the rope and fled! Moe knew fright then as he had never known it before in his life. "I had the snake by the neck,” he says, "but he had both my hands busy keeping his mouth closed. Meanwhile, the snake had begun to wrap me in his folds. I thought: Lord, I will be crushed to death if I don’t get some help. But no one lifted a finger except my wife, Minnie, who was standing by near the box we had brought down to put the rep tile in. She seized the tail of the snake and unwound one of the folds. She tried to push it into the box. but it came out as fast as she could get it in.” Again and again Minnie thrust that tail back in the box, but each time It lashed out again to coil Itself around Moe. Meanwhile, Moe was on the verge of exhaustion. The coils that were already around him were all but crushing the life out of him. "My strength was ebbing rast,” he says. “I wa,s wringing wet with perspiration. Blood was flowing from my nose and ears. The folds of the snake had encircled every part of my body from head to foot. Lord, how could people stand around and see me crushed to death? “But no one made a move to help me. By now the place was crowded with onlookers, but they stood as if hypnotized—rooted to the deck.” Snake Prepared for Final Squeeze. Moe's wife alone stuck to him to the bitter end. And Moe claims that it was she who saved him. It seemed us if the snake were pre paring for one last, final squeeze. He had his tail around Moe, and Minnie was working with all her might to pry it loose again. Moe was ready to give up. but hope dies hard. By that time he had worked him self close to the wooden box in his struggles, and with every ounce of strength he had left in his body, he threw the python’s head and one or two of its coils into it. At the same moment, Minnie succeeded in unwrapping the snake’,* tail. She threw that into the box, too. With his free hand, Moe slammed down the lid of the box and sat on it. That did the trick. Part of the'snake was still outside the box, out when he felt the lid slam down on him he straightened out and began drawing the rest or him inside to keep company with his head. “When it was over,” says Moe. "I was all in—more completely ex hausted than I thought a man could be and still remain conscious. I felt as though I didn’t have strength to keep on living another minute. I couldn’t open my fists and there was a vivid red line encircling every part of my body—marks of where the snake had entwined me. I had to lie in hot water for weeks before I was entirely recovered. And though, today, I am none the worse for my harrowing experience, the recollection of it never fails to send a shiver down my spine.” Copyright.—WNU Service. Use of the Long ‘s’ The long "s,” which resembled the "f,” was generally used for all but the final ‘‘s*’ from the earliest days of printing in the Fifteenth cen tury to the end of the Eighteenth century, about the year 1800. John Bell of London, publisher of the ‘‘British Theater," printed In 1775. is claimed to have been the first to discard the long "s" and Benjamin Franklin wrote in 1786 that the “round ‘s' begins to be the mode, and in nice printing the long ‘s’ is rejected entirely.” Oswald’s History of Printing reproduces a proclama tion of Governor Claiborne of the Mississippi territory in 1804, in three languages. The French and Span ish versions have the long "s," while the English version has only the small “s." Statue of John Harvard When Harvard university was two years old. John Harvard, a young minister, gave 800 pounds and half of a private library to the school. In front of the administration building at Harvard stands a huge bronze statue of the benefactor, but it is purely ideological, as no one knows what he looked like. Just where his grave is also remains a mystery. The original gravestone in the Old Burying ground disap peared during the Revolutionary war. He died September 14, 1638, but the date on the obelisk, in 1828, placed at random in the cemetery, is September 26. The explanation, says the Boston Globe, is that the calendar was changed between 1638 and 1828. The computators that en graved the 1828 obelisk in Charles town were two days off. Embroidery Is Lavished on Gowns of Rich Silk Weaves By CHERIE NICHOLAS T'HEelegance of the past is being revived in fashions of today. Fabrics as sumptu ous as looms can pro duce, luxurious furs, resplendent jewelry, glamorous accesso ries, plus a lavish ment of glittering em broidery, designful applique, cun ning quilted motif and other ornate handiwork declare fashion to be in the “drcss-up” mood of "a lady.” Yes, and the term “lady” has been revived along with other elegancies of the past. Fabrics especially bespeak a new era of elegance. There is that state ly something, that "stand-alone” quality about the'new silks that re flect the glories of the romantic past. Again our gowns and our wraps are being made of stiff "stand alone" moires and heavy silk otto mans and failles. Again the sweet music of rustling taffeta is heard, and again rich brocades and scin tillating metal cloths are fashioning the stunning new jacket blouses so beloved this season. Yelvets of grand and glorious texture, tailored for daytime suits and for night, sweeping through ballroom with queenly grace are a present fabric highlight. Commensurate with the oeauty of these handsome materials is the lav ish embellishment of embroidery and other ornamentation that adorns this season’s modes. The trio of high-style fashions pictured expresses admirably the new feel ing for decoration that now pre vails. The dress of green silk can ton crepe centered in the foreground foretells of dinner parties and thea ter engagements such as a winter season is sure to bring forth. The sleeves are the new three-quarter length. Note also the fashionable high shoulder line. The gold em broidery that enhances this costume is typical of the new trimming trends. And the ostrich muff! A muff is inevitable this season. You’ll be carrying a muff with your tai lored suit or coat by day and by night. Matching ostrich feathers in the hair of the young socialite pic tured add to her endearing charms. Smart for dinner and theater wear is the black silk crepe dress with a fitted long-sleeve jacket heavily bead-embroidered as illustrated to the right in the group. Note the pert squared shoulders. The sim ple dress underneath is unbelted and is worn with a^iarge gold pin at the neckline. The afternoon dress shown to the left is of rust uncut silk velvet with triangle shirring at the waistline. Gold leaf embroidery extends across the flattering bateau neckline with particular accent on shoulder inter est. A persian velvet turban and a velvet bag add beguiling finesse. One of the most pleasing fashions promoted this season is the after noon dress styled of fine quality kind silk crepe on whatever mate rial you may choose, the sleeves of which are entirely and elaborately allover embroidered. With a touch of embroidery at the waistline and wearing clips or other costume Jew elry at the simple untrimmed neck line. you'll be gowned most becom ingly. • Western Newspaper Union. Gay Campus Knits I Get busy knitting these cunning sweater and cap sets. Very inex j pensive if you make them yourself. | The classic skating sweater at the top goes fancy and gets itself orna mented with gay bits of colorful j embroidery, with a trick little calot hat to match. Here it is done in brightest red knitting worsted. ! warm and durable. The little cap : is "different” and notable for its practical earlaps that will defy the coldest breezes. The campus cardi gan Jacket below is also knit ol w*arm germantown wool It fea tures bold horizontal stripes in two contrasting colors. • Indian Beadwork Popular in Paris Beadwork is once again poking it self into the fashion foreground. Old Indian Joe himself would grunt with surprise if he happened along the Avenue Victor Hugo ahd saw a' cer tain beaded belt, wide, supple and fringed and tasseled at its ends. Only non-Indian feature of the belt is the fact that its beaded design is more like an old French tapes try than a Navajo rug! Another bit of beadwork seen on the boulevards is a beaded bolero jacket with solid turquoise back ground and a geometric pattern of gay colors made more brilliant by the addition of a few violet sequins. Hoods Will Keep Your Ears Warm Hoods to wear with sports clothes will be leading accessories this sea son, so there's no reason to freeze your ears. Molyneaux makes big beaver and nutria hoods to go with cloth sports coats. Schiaparelli makes closely fitted ones of bushy fur that tie under the chin. Alix has her own way, which is to combine sidecurtain ties with a pillbox hat. One model is a black pillbox hat with combined tawny ocelot fur and black wool jersey making the curtains that tie under the chin and keep the ears steam heated even in the worst cold snap. For Evening Clothes The new beaded and paillette trim ming which Schiaparelli indorses for evening clothes is reflected in evening bags that shimmer and are brilliantly colored. The bags are covered with bugle beads, irides cent paillettes, enameled paillettes. "Fly-Away Hats’' Tiny hats with "fly-away" effects are the newest and most striking fashions. OPjSEW 4^" Ruth Wyeth Spears I STITCH FROM ' . INSIDE ,J| ^ ( /'KTUCKS M it ! -k STUFFED Ll L i WITH BITS ttk ij : OF COTTON itfilj \ tsATHER [111 \ \\ AFTER l b'S’"—-^STUFFING \ --F-'BO DY - I RUN A STRONG [THREAD AROUND NECK -MARX FACE WITH PENCIL THEN jg^jMBROIDEg^j Money making ideas for Christmas. AN INTERESTING letter this morning says, "Our church bazaar is over and in winding up the last details and balancing my accounts I feel that I would be neglecting something if I did not express my appreciation for your Sewing Book No. 2, Gifts, Novel ties and Embroidery. We found many ideas in it that were real money makers. Our annual Christmas sale is now in course of preparation. Could you publish some new ideas for toys in the paper soon?” Unusually attractive toys may be made quickly and at little cost from cheap cotton stockings. This demure yellowish tan kitten with bright red or blue ribbon is made from a stocking leg. The secret of giving toys of this type char acter is in making the stuffing firm and tight. Cotton or small pieces of clean, soft rags may be used. Push the stuffing firmly in place with a blunt stick. Complete directions for cutting and making the body are given here. For the tail, cut a piece 6 inches long and 2 inches wide. Stitch the lengthwise edges to gether, tapering toward the end, then turn right side out, stuff and sew firmly in place. It is easy to draw the face. Notice in the sketch how the eyelids curve, Penalized for Thai Which Was Unavoidable W. B. Maxwell tells a story about the venerable Lord Hals bury, whose caddie had forced the famous lord chancellor to count a second stroke after his ball had been pulled out from under a bush. "A harsh decision,” soliloquized the jurist, "and I cannot but strongly urge that if the ball was playable in law it was not play able in fact. Then how can one ' equitably be penalized as if com mitting a misdemeanor, when only doing that which is unavoidable and inevitable? I would submit that if golf be really a game of skill, and not merely a game of chance . . .” he went on until the ; green was reached. STOP PAYING RENT Why spend money for rent re ceipts?—buy a good farm or ranch that will be your own. Terms: % to H down, balance in 10 to 25 years with payments often less than usual rent. Good farms or ranches in Iowa, Ne braska, South Dakota and Wyoming. The Federal Land Bank of Omaha, Dept. 117, Omaha, Nebraska.—Adv. Wisdom, Skill, Virtue Wisdom is in knowing what to do next, skill is in knowing how to do it, and virtue is doing it.—Da vid Starr Jordan. _ the shape of the mouth and how the whiskers slant. Either wool yarn or mercerized cotton embroidery thread may be used—black or brown for the eyes and whiskers and red for the mouth. NOTE: Are you ready for Christmas? Birthdays? And the next church bazaar? Do you turn time into money with things to sell? Mrs. Spears’ Sewing Boc^k 2 has helped thousands of women. If your home is your hobby you will also want Book 1—SEWING, for the Home Decorator. Order by number enclosing 25 cents for each book. If you order both books, quilt leaflet with 36 differ ent stitches will be included free. Address Mrs. Spears, 210 S. Des plaines St., Chicago, 111. Uncle J^hil\ SauA: ^ J Too Often He's Wrong It is perhaps best to throw cold water on the young man who ia i out to set the world on fire. Historians explain the men who make history, but the makers of it do not under stand what they are doing. It is easier to take medicine than it is to make up your mind to take it. Thereby We Gauge Them A man’s salary is as secretly sacred to him as a woman’s age ia to her. Welcome an unpleasant ex- J perience. Ten to one it will make a good talking point in future conversations. Native wit in a backwoodsman delights the cultured more than all the smartness of their asso ciates. Looking Into the Future ? Are we grateful for the favors of the past, or for the favors we ex pect later on? When we bump into hard luck, let’s not accuse the other fellow of shoving us. People without a sense of hu mor act very funny at times. Thought makes its mark in lines j| upon the face. Absence of thought ■ shows itself in broad blank spaces. J UESTIOIU Why do Luden’s con tain an alkaline factor? JKNSWIR MJH To help build up your alkaline reserve when am ■HU you have a cold. LUDEN'S 5* MENTHOL COUGH DROPS "POOR TRUST IS DEAD BAD PAY KILLED HIM” This sign with picture of "doggie," gone where all “doggies" go, hanging on the wall of a small store in a little North Carolina town which was plenty years ago, was my first squint at the hint to pay cash. Some need a hint while others need a kick to make good their I. O. U’s. The owner of that North Carolina store the kids called "OLD MAN CASH." What the grown-ups called him, I dunno. It was said that he was a mind reader because he was always able to arrange to be at the spot where you had to look at that sign, and him, too, when you wanted credit. His cold stare and that sign caused stuttering of "the promise to pay tomorrow." It was told that some could not even utter the stutter when facing him and his sign. In later years, after his retirement, speaking of his experience, he said, “There was a time when I was a Santa Claus and some folks seemed to think every day was December twenty-fifth, and no week had a pay day and no month, a first. It was then I decided to change my store habits and if possible the habits of some of my towns-people." After thinking things over awhile, I made up my mind to adver tise. I reasoned it out that a general alarm in the WEEKLY, the only paper in town, to tell about my store, the goods and the new policy of paying, would hit everybody and it would help me save shame-faces—some might feel sheepish while reading my adver tisements and have a heart. I I got interested in advertising. I found other people, some of them my customers, read advertisements, so I helped It along the best I knew how. I put gingersnap words in my advertise ments and some humor, and that’s how the idea came for the POOR TRUST IS DEAD sign. I also found that good-name goods had repeat sales and that started me concentrating on staples with the result that fussiness over what kind, no longer confused or irked. Dilly-dally selling efforts, wasting time and costing money passed out. Customers bought baking powder, soda, flour, soap and other articles bearing identification marks. Kids called them pictures. Products put up in neat, convenient, honest weight and measured cartons, boxes, bottles and cans. What an improvement in busi ness and the dispositions of the customers. I even improved with conditions so greatly changed for the better. W. E. MOFFETT n RICHER TASTING ^^ "N^ U 3 J?"wltbout h*r9hM“) / WHEN fT COMES TO FAST 1 m MORE FRAGRANT / ROLLING/ GOOD TASTE/ AND I U better totacco) I MELLOWNESS/ PRINCE ALBERT J m MILDER SMOKING \ WINS HANDS DOWN. 'AAAKIN'SV^ 1 1 jit's ' no-bite” treated) 7 SMOKES SURE HAVE'lT' dW m EASIER ROLLING l WHEN THE/RE ROLLED rM, 1 LJ (U-.lheBP«ial-cnmP cut") \__ WITH R A. »! a siSftSP * n SLOWER BURNING vmSft □ SEES ■* Millions of roll-your>owners agree It all adds up to Prince Albert UDpyrtffht 1988 R J Reynolds Tobacco Company Winatoo-Saiam. North Carolina fine roll-your-own cigarettes In every 2-oz. tin of Prince Albert |