Vintage Leap Year

Editorial cartoonists in the past thought that the Leap Year/Day tradition of "Ladies Privilege" was very amusing. 

The Tacoma Times, December 23, 1903

The Evening World, New York, NY, December 31, 1904

New York Tribune, February 28, 1904

But not just cartoonists found the Leap year tradition an entertaining subject.  In the leap year of 1892, popular authoress, Edith Sessions Tupper wrote  "But some philanthropist, to whom women should be eternally grateful, ordained that once in four years they should have a whack at proposing.... Rouse maids and widows! the battlefield is open for conflict."

The Salt Lake Herald, January 1, 1892

Los Angeles Herald, December 25, 1892

An article in the Los Angeles Herald on December 25, 1892 gave this bio for Mrs. Tupper:

        "Mrs. Edith Sessions Tupper is a daughter of the Hon. Walter Loren Sessions, ex-member of      

         congress and prominent in New York politics, and was born at his home in Chautauqua county, 

        N. Y., about the beginning of the civil war. Her early opportunities were of the very best.  She  

        was reared in an intellectual atmosphere, educated at Vassar and acquired all the varied  

        knowledge and social standing possible to a congressman’s daughter in Washington city.  Ten 

        years ago she married Mr. Horace E. Tupper, a railroad manager, and went to live in Chicago, 

        where she launched into journalism and made a brilliant success from the start.

        After doing much good work for The Herald, Tribune and Inter Ocean she removed to New 

        York and soon became known as one of the most versatile writers in the country.  In poetry she 

        has decided talent for society verses as they are called and her lines beginning,

              Painted and perfumed, feathered and pink,

              Here is your ladyships fan,

        have been much quoted.  As a closing personality it may be added that she weighs 150 pounds, 
        is most “unfashionably healthy” and has a wealth of light brown hair that is the admiration of  

        all her friends and the envy of many."

Some books she wrote were By Whose Hand?,  Heart's Triumph, and The Stuff of Dreams.  Her short stories were published in many magazines; some magazines that published her stories were All Story Weekly, Love Story, Breezy Stories and Women's World.

Happy Birthday George!

Illustration honoring George Washington

From the newspaper

The Rice Belt Journal, Calcasieau Parish, Louisiana

February 19, 1904

There is some interesting history behind the holiday Presidents Day.  The official federal holiday designation is Washington's Birthday.  You can read all about about it here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington's_Birthday

http://usparks.about.com/od/historicalparks/a/Presidents-Day.htm

http://www.snopes.com/holidays/presidents/presidentsday.asp

Free Hatchet Giveaway

In Honor of Washington's Birthday!

Alexandria Gazette, Alexandria , Virginia

February 19, 1904

The story about George Washington and the cherry tree was first told in the biography A History of the Life and Death, Virtues and Exploits of General George Washington by Mason Locke Weems in 1809.

"The following is a case in point. It is too valuable to be lost, and too true to be doubted; for it was communicated to me by the same excellent lady to whom I am indebted for the last.
"When George," said she, "was about six years old, he was made the wealthy master of a hatchet! of which, like most little boys, he was immoderately fond, and was constantly going about chopping everything in his way. One day in the garden, where he often amused himself hacking his mother's pea-sticks, he unluckily tried the edge of his hatchet on the body of a beautiful young English cherry-tree, which he barked so terribly, that I don't believe the tree ever got the better of it. The next morning the old gentleman, finding out what had befallen his tree, which by the by, was a great favourite, came into the house; and with much warmth asked for the mischevious author, declaring at the same time, that he would have taken five guineas for his tree.  Nobody would tell him anything about it. Presently George and his hatchet made their appearance. "George," said his father, "do you know who killed that beautiful cherry tree yonder in the garden?"  This was a tough question; and George staggered under it for moment; but quickly recovered himself; and looking at his father, with the sweet face of youth brightened with the inexpressible charm of all-conquering truth, he bravely cried out, "I can't tell a lie, PA; you know I can't tell a lie. I did cut it with my hatchet." "Run to my arms, you dearest boy," cried his father in transports, "run into my arms; glad am I, George, that you killed my tree; for you have paid me for it a thousand fold. Such an act of heroism in my son is worth more than a thousand trees, though blossomed with silver , and their fruits of purest gold. "

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parson_Weems

Weems attributed the story to "...an aged lady, who was a distant relative, and, when a girl, spent much of her time in the family...," who referred to young George as "cousin."  The Cherry tree story has never been independently verified and is believed to be a parable/fable concocted by Parson Weems to illustrate Washington's honesty.  Personally, I could believe it.

The history for Corby's Mother's Bread, the company who offered the free souvenir hatchet, is convoluted.  Corby's Bakery was sold/merged to/with Continental  Baking Corporation in 1925. Continental was originally Ward Baking Company in New York.  Continental also bought Taggart Baking Company the original maker of  Wonder Bread in 1925.  The corporation went through many mergers and is now known as Hostess Brands, the maker of "Twinkies."

Read more about the history of William S. Corby and his company in the book American Biography: A new Cyclopedia, volume 47, on pages 180 - 183 :

http://www.archive.org/stream/anewcyclopedi47boarrich#page/n9/mode/2up

Here's a more recent article about the bakery:

http://alextimes.com/2011/11/out-of-the-attic-ever-wonder-where-wonder-bread-began-on-lee-street/entry/10/142/

Read about Wonder Bread here:

http://www.wardbakingcompany.com/Ward_Baking_Company/Home.html

http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/wonderbread.htm

In the Shadow of the Pines - The Song

This is the final installment of a series of three posts about an old song from 1895 "In the Shadow of the Pines"
The other two entries can be found here:
http://miscellaneousmar.blogspot.com/2011/07/in-shadow-of-pines.html
http://miscellaneousmar.blogspot.com/2011/08/composer.html

Sheet Music cover for "In the Shadow of the Pines" 

published by Legg Brothers Music, Kansas City, Missouri,circa 1895

The song, “In the Shadow of the Pines” was written by Hattie Lummis and the music composed by Sylvester Legg, under the nom de plume “G. O. Lang.” The sheet music was published by Legg Brothers, Kansas City, Missouri in about 1895.

“In the Shadow of the Pines” was recorded by several singers in the early 1900s. One copy of the song’s sheet music stated on the cover that it was “sung by J. H. McQuaid, Whitney Opera Co.” and included a photo of the singer. Recordings of the song by the performers Vernon Archibald and Royal Fish in 1913 and Byron G. Harlan and Frank C. Stanley in 1903 are available at the Donald C. Davidson Library at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Iconic country musicians, the Carter Family Singers recorded their own personalized version of “In the Shadow of the Pines” in 1937 on Decca and in 1939 Montgomery Ward label on 78 rpm records. The group modified the lyrics, changing some words and deleting some lines, so in their version the first letters of the first verse no longer spelled out “WABASH” which was the case in the original Lummis/Legg composition.

The sheet music for “In the Shadow of the Pines” can be found for sale on eBay. Musicians still record this 100-year-old song and you can hear several recent versions on YouTube.

A Kansas City newspaper reported in 1897 that sales of the song had broken the 100,000 mark but even with these record breaking sales the publisher of the sheet music, Legg Brothers Music Store, went out of business by 1898.

Kansas City Journal, August 27, 1897, Page 1, "Written as an AD." 

Edward Legg’s father-in-law was a prominent Kansas City businessman, David S. Gordon. Mr. Gordon was a trustee for their music store. In 1898 a newspaper ad publicized a Trustee’s sale being held at the Legg Bros. Music Store with all the merchandise being sold at a discount of 66 2/3%.

Advertisement, Kansas City Journal, May 8, 1898 

Other Connections and Coincidences

The Carter Family recorded a version of the popular folk song, “Wabash Cannon Ball” in 1929. “Wabash Cannon Ball” was a “descendant” of an older song, “The Great Rock Island Route!” The composer of the original version of this song was named J. A. Roff. The sheet music for this song was published in 1882. The publisher and copyright holder was the J. M. W. Jones Stationary & Printing Company, Chicago. Apparently this is the only song that Roff ever wrote; an internet search uncovered no other Roff compositions.

Sheet music cover for "Great Rock Island Route!"

Published by Jones Stationary and Printing Co., Chicago, Illinois, circa 1882

“Wabash Cannon Ball” has different lyrics than the song “The Great Rock Island Route!” but the refrains of both songs are very similar.

♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪  ♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪  ♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪  ♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪ 

Great Rock Island Route! By J. A. Roff 

 Now listen to the jingle, and the rumble, and the roar, 

As she dashes thro' the woodland, and speeds along the shore, 

See the mighty rushing engine, hear her merry bell ring out, 

As they speed along in safety, on the "Great Rock Island Route." 

The Wabash Cannon Ball by Alvin P. Carter 

Listen to the jingle the rumble and the roar 

As she glides along the woodlands, through the hills and by the shore 

Hear the mighty rush of the engine, hear those lonesome hobos call 

While travelling through the jungle on the Wabash Cannon Ball 

♫♪♫♪♫♪♫ ♪    ♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪  ♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪  ♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪ 

 I believe it’s possible that composer “J. A. Roff” may have been Sylvester Legg. The name “J. A. Roff” is similar to “G. O. Lang” and could have been another nom de plume. The song composed by J. A. Roff seems to have originally been written as an advertisement for the railroad, as was the song “In the Shadows of the Pines.” "The “Great Rock Island Route” was dedicated to the General Ticket and Passenger Agent for the Rock Island Railroad; “In the Shadow of the Pines” was commissioned by General Ticket and Passenger Agent for the Wabash Railroad. The songs were written within about 12 years of each other. Both songs were recorded by the Carter Family Singers; both songs sound musically similar to me, but I’m not a musician.

In 1882 when “The Great Rock Island Route!” was written, Sylvester Legg was about 25 years old and had played the piano since he was a child. He had a connection to the railroad since his older brother, Augustus, worked as a clerk for the railroad and possibly worked with C. S. Crane, the General Ticket and Passenger Agent for the Wabash Railroad.

One difference between the two songs is that J. A. Roff was both lyricist and composer of the music, while G. O. Lang, aka Sylvester Legg, only composed the music for “In the Shadows of the Pines” and Hattie Lummis wrote the lyrics. Legg did compose lyrics and music for some of his other songs. Another difference is the sheet music for “The Great Rock Island Route” was published in Chicago, while “In the Shadow of the Pines” was published in Kansas City by Mr. Legg. I have not found anything but circumstantial evidence that Sylvester Legg could have been original composer for the song “Wabash Cannon Ball” but I plan to keep searching for more information.

Sources, Links and Further Reading and Listening:

Newspaper article:
Library of Congress, Chronicling America, Historic American Newspapers – Kansas City Journal, August 27, 1897, page 1, “Written As An AD.”

“In the Shadow of the Pines” Sheet Music:
Library of Congress Historic American Sheet Music Collection, Duke University Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library –
http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/dukesm:@OR%28@field%28AUTHOR+@band%28Lang,+G.+O.%29%29+@field%28OTHER+@band%28Lang,+G.+O.%29%29+%29

http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/sheetmusic/b/b07/b0732/

Recordings of “In the Shadow of the pines”:
University of California Library Recordings:
http://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/mp3s/4000/4283/cusb-cyl4283d.mp3 

Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project, Department of Special Collections, University of California, Santa Barbara -
http://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/search.php?query=IN+THE+SHADOW+OF+THE+PINES+&queryType=%40attr+1%3D1016

For Sale on amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/In-Shadow-Pines/dp/B005MW5EDY

YouTube Old recording:
  http://youtu.be/iqbkls6yGb0

YouTube Recent versions:
http://youtu.be/yEyUeeVMFuA
http://youtu.be/M3A9shOciJY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIfEfGuczYg&feature=related

Carter Family Links:
YouTube "Wabash Cannonball"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMiU_aknPDA
Carter Family music CD with "In the Shadow of the Pines"

http://www.amazon.com/Sunshine-Shadows-Carter-Family/dp/B00009WVW5/ref=sr_1_2?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1316390021&sr=1-2

Marshall Lloyd CHEUVRONT - In Agony

Advertisements in vintage newspapers used testimonials to sell various products, from sarsaparilla and celery compound, to cures for all kinds of ailments such as rheumatism, cancer and kidney problems. When reading these old advertisements sometimes it’s difficult to figure out what the heck the touted medicine will do since many of the ailments mentioned are not familiar. When you think about it, even in modern times, we are still bombarded with television infomercials for cures for different health problems. The majority of cure-alls sold today are for weight loss, not salt rheum (eczema). We also get hit hard with viagra commercials; it could be, that in 100 years, people will ask "What the heck is viagra?"

While searching in old newspapers for information about my husband’s family, I came across a distant cousin, M. L. Cheuvront, who had written a testimonial for Hood’s Sarsaparilla Cure. His testimonial letter was featured in an advertisement found in newspapers in many states including Hawaii, Kentucky, and Missouri. The ads featuring Cheuvront’s glowing recommendation were published from about 1894 until 1896 under the heading “In Agony.”

Here’s what he wrote in the advertisement:

“Hood’s Sarsaparilla is an excellent medicine. I had eczema in my left leg for fifteen years. Part of the time my leg was one mass of scabs, and about every other week corruption would gather under the skin and the scabs would slough off. The itching and burning sensation made me suffer indescribable agonies. I spent a great deal of money for different remedies but did not get relief. About a year ago, leading physicians advised me to take Hood’s Sarsaparilla. I did so and have taken five bottles. Now all the sores, scabs and pain have vanished and I am enjoying perfect health. I think Hood’s Sarsaparilla is second to none and gladly recommend it to all suffering humanity.”

Marshall Lloyd Cheuvront was born about 1851 in Lewis County, Virginia. He was the son of James M. Cheuvront and Mary E. Parr and a great-grandson of Joseph Cheuvront who was born in Strasbourg, France and came to America in 1774. I dug deeper and discovered that M. L. Cheuvront met an untimely death just a few years after he wrote his testimonial for Hood’s Sarsaparilla.

On the evening of July 22, 1897 Mr. Cheuvront was strolling in the park in Shelbina, Missouri when a jealous husband, who believed Cheuvront had been following his wife, shot him three times. Mr. Cheuvront lingered overnight, but died at 7:00 a.m. the next morning. He was 46 years old and left a wife and two sons. According to a newspaper article the shooter was a man named Tol Smock.

Tol Smock’s full name was Allan Tolbert Smock. He was married to Miss Edna Pearl Swift of Shelbina Missouri on November 14, 1894. In a description of the shooting, Mrs. Smock was described as “fair of face.” Mr. Cheuvront was described as a “citizen of good character, inoffensive and peaceable,” and “very deaf.”

The Kansas City Journal reported on August 11th that “Druggist Smock, who killed M. L. Cheuvront at Shelbina, Mo., because his wife said he followed her, has been refused bail and remanded to jail to await the action of the grand jury. Public sentiment is strongly against Smock.”

A summary of the trial of Mr. Smock and the outcome is written in the book, General history of Shelby County, Missouri, published by Henry Taylor & Co., 1911:

“Mr. Smock took change of venue and his case was tried in Macon county, December, 1897. J. H. Whitecotton, of Paris, Mo., was leading attorney for the defense and Prosecuting Attorney Cleek had valuable assistance. A good many witnesses were sworn on both sides. The state sought to prove that Mr. Cheuvront was a man of unquestionable christian and moral character. The jury hung after a hard fight on both sides, four standing solidly and determinedly for conviction. The trial was taken up again at the Macon Circuit court and all the witnesses re-examined, and the defendant found guilty of manslaughter and punishment fixed at six months in jail and a fine of $100. The Macon Times-Democrat said this among other things concerning the verdict: "The verdict is an outrage upon this community and it is just such mockery as this that disgusts the people with juries and courts and causes them to take the law into their own hands and mete out justice."

Tol Smock ended up with a lenient six month sentence for murdering Marshall Lloyd Cheuvront, but his story didn’t end happily. He committed suicide on July 20, 1921, by swallowing carbolic acid poison. His occupation listed on his death certificate was Physician and Druggist.

Apparently the use of carbolic acid as a means to commit suicide was a problem in the early 1900s as documented by this interesting news article from 1904:

Sources and More Info:

Internet Archive, Ebooks and Texts Archive, The Library of Congress, General history of Shelby County, Missouri:
http://www.archive.org/details/generalhistoryof00bing

Library of Congress Chronicling America, Historic American Newspapers:
http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/

Missouri Digital Heritage, Missouri State Archives, Missouri Death Certificates:
http://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/resources/deathcertificates/