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Wm *- ■. uff: -Va FOR KLOXWKERS. THE TRAILS TO THE COLD MINES SWARM WITH SWINDLERS. That the $nr«-Tliing Gamblers Set for the Unwary - A - G-blnder Who Carries a Bogun Fack-The Shell Game-Salted Mine*. ice the gras* has began to grow short for them in town, some of coufideuoe workers who still re main at Skagwfcj, Alaska, have taken to the trails, where they continue to set snares for the dollars of unwary Klondike™. On the Skagway trail the sure-thing gambler seldom goes higher than the foot of White Pass Mtmmit. Half a dozen or so of the tribe usually travel together, sharing at the close of the day the profits of the tricks they have turned. One of the party is chosen as active operator. His necessary qualifications are a ca pacity to judge human character and a tongue that, is gifted with glibness. • The successful confidence operator is best described by the term spell binder. His confederates—the steer- ers—carefully disassociate themselves from him whenever a possible victim is in sight. The better to disguise his wolfish character the steerer frequent ly dons the sheep’s clothing of a packer. It is no uncommon incident on the trail to see two or more notori ous bunco steerers faring along, one after the other, apparently heavily burdened with packs which, if ana lyzed, would prove to be nothing more than straw oi chips in canvas sacks. A little ahead of them alwayt} is the operator, equipped with a small porta ble table, three shells and the elusive pea. When the first one reaches the ma nipulator of the ancient, but'to the victim ever new, game, he stops, watches and -listens, and finally lays down his pack as if to rest and be amused.' Steerer No. 2 J^.ows his example, as do the others in turn. By the time the prospective victim arrives he finds a spurious Klondiker just winning a bet from the shell game player amid the half-envious congratu lations of his confederates. “Well, well, this is my unlucky day,” says the man with the table, “but I’ll give some other gentleman a chance to win with the little pea.” Back and forth and round about go the little shells again, a glimpse of the pea being given the watchers at seduc tively frequent intervals. Another steerer guesses its location and wins a greenback or two. “If you fellows are hitting me too hard,” dubiously comments the oper- i up my roll before jg any more bets.” He opens a well-lined pooketbook, and, while his attention is taken up with its contents, one of the steerers slyly raises tbe shell under which the pea is hidden. That catches the out sider, unless he be invulnerable against the temptations of bunco. Laying his finger on the shell indi cated to him, he offers to bet $10, $20, $50, or a higher sum that it covers the pea. His bet is taken, the shell is lifted, and the pea proves to be some where else. Usually the victim makes a second, and perhaps a third, bet in the hope of retrieving his loss, always with the same result. A witness to one of these episodes tells of having seen a prospector who had lost $00 sit upon bis pack and burst into tears. He said that his last dollar had gone on the game. Still higher up the trail that same day a mau who runs a tent restaurant bet and lost $20, bnt tho shell-game player was glad to disgorge it when the victim’s wife, a 200-pound lady of German nativity, seized him by the coat collar and screamed lustily fox- help. A woman who said she was going to the Klondike in the interests of the Smithsonian Institution complained to Captain L. A. Matile that confidence workers were sc) annoying her that she feared to continue the journey. She is traveling alone, and had called at the regular army encampment on her way out of town. Captain Matile, who commands the troops at Skagway, sent an escort of two soldiers with her as far as the Northwest Mounted Po lice post at Summit lake. After work ing one point on the trail thoroughly, the confidence men scatter, to reap pear at another point under like cir cumstances some time later in the day. On the Skagway trail the shell game is not in .operation regularly. The men engaged at it are supposed to be a detachment of “Soapy” Smith’s ' gamblers. Those who operate in Dyea, Sheep Camp and along to the base of .Chilkoot are nuder the leader ship of Tom Cady, a notorious Colo rado camp confidence man. Other devices for catching victims besides the pea and shells are heard of occasionally. The salted mine man is one of the most recent additions to those who seek to get something fox- nothing. . . - J. T. Jones, president of the Guar antee Title and Abstract company'of Juneau, saved a Dyea merchant from falling into the clutches of a swindler of this variety. The merchant told Jones that he had a chance to buy a placer mine for the very low sum of $500. It was a new strike, only five miles outskle of Dyea, and the locator, being oat of lands, was willing to sac- hard,” dubiously co ^ . ainri “I nniat, site \ aFv rv. *• taking any more bet rifice his claim. He exhibited speci mens of gold from the placer, they be ing shot and smaller particles. In the afternoon the miner accompanied Jones and the merchant to his claim. There he panned samples of the dirt. The specimens obtained looked gen- nine, bat, being dabions, the Janeaa man had them tested. They proved to be a composition of copper, zinc, bismnth and tin. This evening Jones expressed the opinion that more than one local dealer in gold had made pur chases of the bogus precious metal. As United States Deputy Marshal Cudihee is now the sole guardian of the peace for Skagway and Dyea, it is almost impossible to keep the snre- tbing gamblers and others of their ilk off the trails, however they may fare in the towns.—New York Sun. t "YANKEE TARS." Surprised Old English Salts-Navies Could Meet on American I.akes. One of the first productions the American republic was proud of was the American sailor, or, as he -fras af fectionately called, the “Yankee tar.” It was a very small navy that was set afloat by the revolted colonies in the revolution to contend with the great est naval power in the world, but it made a great record fox- sailing and fighting. Onr navy has already writ ten a brave stox-y on the pages of our history. In face of our own declara tions to the coutx-ary, we have always when the emergency came, had ready within the necessary period the ships and the sailors. It has been our habit for a very long time to assert our in feriority, bnt there has always been a stanch craft to carry the American flag to any point of the earth’s surface where honor or duty required it to go, and to keep it flying in honor after it got thefe. The United States has a great in land population, dwelling remote from the ocean and its commerce and its life, but the American is never a landlubber. He takes to the sea on occasion, wherever he may have been reared, just as in wax- times he shows a genius for the artillery. In his conntry there are lakes on which navies may perform their evolutions, and rivers where steam fleets may meet. On lake Champlain the Yankee tax-kept up a lire which old English sailors said they had seen equalled only in Nelpon’s. great fight at Copen hagen. It has been the popular belief that our sailors were recruited fx-om foreign countries, that the Yankee tar,strictly speaking, did not exist,but this is one of the numerous mistakes we have made about ourselves. It was in 1890 that the nativity of the Bailors of the American navy was enrolled. In April of that year 58 per cent, of the whole enlisted force—7516 men and appren tices—were described ns American citizens. In 1896 Secretary Herbert reported that 72 per cent, of the en listed men were American citizens and 82 per cent, of the apprentices were natives of the United States. From these figures it will be seen that the American navy is more Ameri can than it ever was before. ^he future navy is to be officered and manned from the apprentices who are natives of onr soil. Every American sailor is the inheritor of glorious tra ditions. Every generation of Ameri can sailors has proved worthy of its predecessors.—Kansas City Star. Two Youthful Fatrlotn. Two street gamins of Philadelphia agreed to settle the vexed -question between Spain and the United States by a fistic eucoxxnter. One, an inof fensive, dirty little fellow, aged s 10, agreed to represent Weyler, while Consul-General Lee was a shock headed youth, a trifle dirtier and a trifle older. In the first x-ound the unfortunate consul-general’s foot slipped and he went down, with Wey ler on top. He commenced to pum mel him well, bnt in a moment a dozen gamind, who had agreed to see fair play, rushed at the successful representative of Spain, and so over whelmed poor Weyler that it required the united efforts of three gentlemen who were passing by to pull enough of the enraged American citizens off to see the tyrant’s legs. When the hero of the trocha was finally rescued he said: “You see, I hain’t no Spain- yard, ’cause I’se not, but dem blokes who got me to play Weyler jesa forgot who I wuz when I got Giueral Lee down.”—Philadelphia Record. Experiment* With Nicotine. Professor J. U. Lloyd has made a thorough study of the effect of nico tine on insects (the professor does not smoke), and has devised methods for extracting and using it as a parasiti cide in sheep dips, plant sprays, etc. He has sold his right to an Eastern company on a royalty basis, and this company, which has now been operat ing for some two years .in Chicago, has now arranged for the erection of • large factory in St. Louis.—American Druggist Poem* of PKMion. He—I thought yon said your friend was a passion poetess. I find hex* pro ductions well balanced and strong in common sense. She—But yon should see her fly in to a passion when she can’t make her words fit the metre.—Detroit Free Press. . BECAUSE A BIRD SANG. Because a bird sang ere the raindrops dry, ° r 8tt ^ jam# lia d driven the clouds trom A dark life was brightened, a faint 1 made strong . For trustful and glad were the tones song, ^Ong till he quickened a hope that jtras By singing that song on the roof of I the The hope had deemed ’Twos only some dreamed. It quickened, and once more. been buried so long beautiful thing l at I l]had started, and warned m: ‘S: And filled with the visions that charmefi me of yore: , So gladsome the tune and the words that he (That bird in shed.) his song on the roof m the HC * ai waU! d ^ Warblod ’ "OMonging heart, Though dim is the future, yet kindly it fkte. Believe it and trust it, O mortal, to be Beplete with the dearest of treasuries for thee.” So hope has arisen and doubting is flw, Because of that song from the roof of the shed. —Hilda Muirhead,ln Ladies’ Home Journal. HUMOROUS. SOtf tit**. a- % < r She—It’s funny how Mrs. MfPhntt has made her way in society. He— Well, if I had her weight I’d k^ep out of soeiety. Jones—I married my wife a month after she accepted me. Browi—And I married mine three days after Bhe refused me. She—I just enjoy seeing yott smoke a cigar. He—Really? Sbe—Yes, it is such a change to have you.pnff some thing else besides yourself. ■ Friend—I suppose you’ve hnd some hard experiences? Retm-ned Klon diker—Oh, yes! I’ve seen times when we hadn’t a thing but money. Miss Upton—I’ve just heard Miss Kails play at the musk-ale. She can positively make a piano talk. De- Witte—Can she make it monopolize the conversation? “Pa,” asked the little boy who had been tackling statistics in the daily paper, “how does it come that most of the whiskey and beer is drank by peo ple in the temperate zone?” “That’s a picture of an honest man, if I am any judge of character. Yes; that’s what I thought.; but it happens to be a composite photo graph of the men who borrowed fivers of me.” Jink--My.deqr MacFti very thing you want! —lovely spot! Cheap, great drawback... Yon water there! McFud doesn’t matter! _ “What was that guy ki asked the doorkeeper, qnite catch it where I was. * cnuu he found a new joke on the program. Wanted his money bock before the house fell down.” “Hello, Spiffins, I thought yon had gone to the Klondike,” said ftnagga. “I’ve changed my mind.” “Did your wife object to your going?”,. “Not at all. I thought she seemed Utb willing, and so I decided to remain at home.” Applicant (to matrimonial ; agent)— Can’t yon show me the photograph of that lady with $100,000 who wants to get married? Agent—Oh, now, with such a dowry as that, you ertti imagine how she looks, without a photograph. Miller—Which is right,, “stop and think” or “stop to think?” Smith— “Stop to think,” to be sure. You might easily stop to think while you were talking, bnt as to stopping and actually thinking, that is another mat ter. The Young Kentuckian — Father, little Jack Horner is the most ignorant boy in. our class. Colonel Oldbrand— Is he? The Young Kentnckxan—Yes, indeed; the teacher asked today how many gallons in a barrel, and he didn’t know. “What a beautiful specimen/ of in laying!” exclaimed the guest. - “Yes,” replied Mr. Cumrox, as hft put his hands behind and tiptoed complacent ly; “but that isn’t anything. Yon, onght to have seen the outlay it rep resents.” The Cautions One—I wouldnH to the Klondike, cl) money has gone in been taken out. —You don’t say! ting richer like as soon as I can. Broncho Pete—So Ti is dead, an’ only 40 years om: mat's what yer might call bein’ cut down in the prime nv life. Grizzly Grady— Ya-as, yer might call it that'; Iriit .the facts uv the case wuz, he wuzu’t cut down till he’d been dead for oVer' a week. He—They say wedding are going out of fashion. She—Oh. I don’t care! If you wish to dis pense with the ring, dear,it will make no difference. But why didn’t yon give me warning? This is so sudden. And he thonght of home and mother, bat it was too late. w To LoosenIK P- Apply kerosene, naphtha, or turpen tine, either of which will, in a short time, penetrate between the 1 'nut and bol^ and so allow the nut to be un screwed without trouble. | ficacious in rusty hingi v-v-V-. !l ft- No amount of argument can convince the experienced, honest grocer that any other soap will give his customers such general satisfaction as Ivory Soap. He knows that they prefer Ivory Soap to new kinds, of unknown quality. Ivory Soap will sell because the people want it, the other soaps may look like Ivory, but his customers want the real thing—they may buy a new soap once to try it, but they come back again and again for Ivory Soap, and they insist on having it. On*l|to. im. k, Ito a Otabk ft., OwteM*. HERE IT IS! Want to learn all about a Horse? How to pick oat a good one? Knom imperfections and so guard against fraud? Detect disease and effect a car* when same is possible? Tell the age by the teeth? 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