Chicago Daily Tribune Newspaper, September 19, 1875, Page 8

REAL ESTATE. The Connty Commissioners Abstract- Books Bon't Stand Ex- E amination, The Men Who Made Them Can't Use Them, but Want $45,000 for Them. The Books of No Use to Pro- fessionals or to the Publiec. Something No Fellow Can Find Out: Were They Bought Honestly ? The Sales of the Week Show a Little Improvement in Real Estate, The Loan Market Duller on Account of Slackness in Building. How Workingmen Might Get Cheap Homes and Cheap Railroad Fares, THE ABSTRACT SWINDLE. FP IS EIPLAINED 30 THAT ALL WHO BUNS MAY BEAD. The Cototy Commissioners have made s serions mistaxe in their purchase of the ab- stract books of Wilmans & Thielcke. These ‘books are no better than the beaos which the, County Board desl out tothe county paupers. The price paid for them is proportionately as ex- tortionate as the sum which the County Com- missioners, in faithful imitstion of the Indian Ring, make the tax-payers pay for the pauper supplies. The worthlessness of these records is well known to the real-estate dealers, loan agents, and abstract makers, but the sverage tax-payer is not so well posted, although it is HIS MONEY THAT PAYS THE BILL. We have boon at considerable pains to examine critically theso abstract books ‘of Wilmans & Thielcke, which are now in the Recorder’s office. They are defective in almost every respect. Their usalessness for the purpases of reference, snd their failure to comply with the require- ments of the statutc under which they were bought, can be made so plain that even a County Commssioner could be made to admit it if he were honest. TO BEGIN AT THE BEGINXING, the Iaw under which the Commissioners are | eupposed to act is the Recorder's act of 1874. This provides that the Recorder * shall keep eortain books,” and Sec. 12 specifies that— ‘When required by the County Doard, an abstract book, whick: shall show by tracts every conveyance or incumbrance recorded, the date of ‘the instrument, time of Bling the same, and the book and page whers thie same 15 recardod ; which book shall be so” kopt as 10 show a true claim of-title to each tract and the in- cumbrances thereon 3a shown by the records of his office ; and Sec. 19 provides that whea abstract books have not been kept in any county npto the time of the taking effect of this act, the County Board of such county may, if they deem it expedient, procurs such abetract books, to be made in the form prescribed in $his act, at the cost of the county, showing a_counect- d chath of title and Incumbrances up 1o the time of the taxing effect of this act. The above are the only provisions of Iaw ap- plicable. They do not alithorize the paurchase of books made up. Thoy cover only the convey- ances, etc., recorded in the Recorder's office. They do not cover judgments, court records, or proceedings, or tax =ales. They do not cover original entry-books, or ansthing else than the specified class of books which are commonly called ** tract-books ™ or indices, but are called in these sections ‘*abstract books.” There is absolutely no provision of law for the purchase of abstract books, or indices, minutes, or copies made mince the fire. The provision of Sec. 18 of Chap. 116 rolatos only to the purchess of ente- fire records, none of which are pow in market. As wo shall show belo, the books purchased by Wilmans & Thielcke utterly fall short of the re- quirements of the law, as quoted above. If the Commissioners had authority to purchase any books, they ought not tobuy theése, but they plainly HAVE XO LEGAL BIGHT tobuy anysuch books. The law says directly and unequivocally: Prepare them. By the law, the county abstract books can only be made up ander the direction of the Board. Furthermore, the authority of the Board is limited to books of the land specified in the statute, and these books which mnet be made up must show what the statate requires them to show ; just this, and nothing more. < - This consideration of the Isw makes it plain that the Board of County Commissioners had no authority to buy the Wilmans & Thielcke books, and if the reader will follow, he will see that in doing so they bought what was of X0 VALOE 70 THE COUNTY, whatever the County Commiscioners msy make out of it. The Wilmans & Thielcke books are not the kind of books the law requires. What are they ? They are: ki 1. Some 40 volumes of copy-books, containing of i ties statracte, = el 2. About 60 volumes of “ariginal entry ™ books, ‘which the Rocorder is required to keep, by Sec. 12 of the act of 1874, xs follows: “Firsi—An entry-boek, in which he shall, immediately on the receipt of nny instrument to be recordsd, enter, in the order of its roception, the names of the parties the ), its date, the sy of the month, hour, snd year of filing the same, anda Urief descripticn of the premises,” etc, ity to 60 valumes of judgment rocords: and 4, Several volumes of tax-sales books, 5. A comparatively small number of *fract in- dices,” or *abstract-books,” as the statute terms them, ‘with a few other odd volumes, _The forty volumes of copy-books, the fifiy or sixty volumes of {ndgmem—recnrds and indices, the tax-sale books, and the odd volumes of bankrupt records and the like, the Commission- ers had 1o right either to buy or prepare. The original entry-books the Recorder is required by }fimtfege;p. :ind itis ;n be px;:amed that he has is duty snd provic the counanty wi holt;ku‘nl this flua. 3 A ma act, only sbout 100 of the 250 books bought from Wilmanrs & Thielcke have the re- motest approach to the character of the books reguired by the law. Hitherto the technica! and legal points of the case have engrossed attention. Even the citizen unversed in liw-books can decide as confidently a8 a Judge that the County Commiasioners have taken an illegal step. The demonstration of this has not boen purposeless, although it may bavo been dry. Public officials, in these days of rotten public honor, take advantage of every op- ity to slip through the barriers of the ‘;:-. ‘They want to be outside the 1aw, and have TAX-PAYERS INSIDE THE LAW. The only safety for the Iatteristo keep the former sternly within their proper limits. IT that fails. the people may decide that if they are fll:ndm without law they will punisk without But Wilmanns & Thielcke's books, besides be- ing purchased illegally, ars worthless. They do Dot give the information called for by the law as <ited sbove. agents and real-cstate deal- @rs aasure us that they woald not accept ab- stracts of title made from them. A personal examination of these books has convinced us, as it will convince any ome who will take the o :l:eu‘lml trouble to investigate them, that they KO VALUE FOR REFERENCE. wb: are told, farthermore, by a-loading firm of llnbtxlet—nukm. that Wilmanos & Thieicks have itually coneulted their abstract-books, be- c-nnf of the dificulties and defects of their own! What a commentary 1s this upon the pur- ch!‘t“ of fl::nbenmy Commissioners ! 18 well known among abstrast and_real-es- “ummmm !.‘hll Wllml'.u_\‘l & Thielcke, nh:fific up these tract-books™ for their own use in the usiness of making sbatracts, and who of coarse 270 most familiar with them, have not been able abliged €0 resort to the Booke” o eaeeh THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1875, —SIXTEEN PAGES sbstract firm for their chains of title in making abstracts! e may weil ask that if Wilmnans & Thelcko Lavo not Leen ableto uss them, on account of their defective condition, what use will they be to any one else ? From tho fire of 1871 to Jsnnary, 1878, tho # tract " books of Wilmanne & Thielcke comprise only abont ten emal, cheaply bound books. From January, 1873 to September, 1873, all the transfers are posted in less than balf adozen small, paper covered books. If we look into these books we find but little more than simply col- umpe of figures. Theso figures aro the docu- ment pumbers of instruments re- corded. To explain more fully, if we wish to ook up the title fo a lot in & oertain block in the busicess part of the city, orin one of the sdditions to the city, we find the book and pagein Wilmans & Thielcke’s “stract” books, in which thie block is referred to. Instead of finding here the particulars of the title, viz.: the names ot the parties who bave desded, mortgagod, and otherwise conveyed the Iot, and the dates and character of the convey- ancee, the consideration, and a reference to the books and pzges of the records where these con- veyances can be found, and what particalar lot of the block is eonveyed by each instrument, we generally tind ‘" 'SIIPLY A COLUMN OF FIGURES. These are dccument numbers, which afford us no information, except thata large number of convoyances have boen made &t some time, which may or may not be given, by some per- sons whose names ara geaerslly not given, aad of some part of the block, which part or lot is so often not given, and which have been recorded somerwhero in the Recorder's office, but in what particular book or on whst particular page no information is given. This muddled and incomplete system of rec- ords can be econ by any one who will take the trouble to visit the Recorder's office. Itis no wouder that Wilmans & Thielcke, in their bosi- neas of abstract-making, virtually ADANDOXED THE USE Of THEIR OWX BOOKS and got their chain of title from anotber firm, whose tract-books woro made up £o that they could be used. As to many of the subdivisiona of land in the county, some of them containing maay acres, divided into a large number of blocks. and the blocks into a large number of lote, these “tract"-books of Wilmans & Thiclcke do not soparate the subdivisions into blocks eveo. All of the converances and transfers in all parts of the subdivision are posted together promis- cously by inscrting the document numbers only. In sich s case, if & person wishes to find out something about any one particular lot, he must wado through and investigato each document pumber ehown in the whole subdivision. Finding it impracticable to use their “stract " books, Wilmans & Thielcke have at- tempted to reclassify their book to September, 1873, by making up a new set. This is simply A CONFESSION, Iike their recourse to other sbstract-makors that thoir present books are worthloss. That part of their books which wero begun after Soptember, 1573, are in botter shape, but thig pet comprises ouly about seventy volnmes of thin books, which would not give much more than half the spaceof the books in use by Handy, Simmons & Co., or iu other words, would be equal to about thirty-five volumes of s tract™ books of the ordinary size. The abstraci-firm of Handy, Simmons & Co., 1n 'making up a new set of *tract™ books from the Great Firc, have taken about 300 large, sub- stantiatly-bound books for this purposo. This wsy found to be necessary in order to have a soparate space for the OREAT NUMBER OF DISTINCT PARCELS of land in the couniy. If they deemed 1t neces- sary to have so many books when all those using them are oxperts snd familiar with tho books, how much more 1mportan: 18it that the “ trect ” books provided for the use of the peo- ple in zeneral should be properly elaborated. What professional abstract-makers rut into 300 volumes for their own use, the E:?pla BI® OX~ pected to find 1n seventy poor boo TO COMYARE THEM IN ANOTHER WAY: The tract_books of Handy, Simmons & Co. sinca the Fire comprise about 300 large vol- umes, which they find necessary for convenient and economical use in their business. The Wilmans & Thielcke tract books from the Great Fire $o abont Jan. 1, 1873, comprise only about ten small-sized, poorly-bound volumes. From Jam. 1, 1873.to Sept.1, 1873, less than haif-s-dozen small, paper-covered volumes. From Sept.1, 1873, sbout 70 thin books, or equivalent to about 35 volumes of Handy, Sim- ons & Co.’s books. The sonclucion of the whole matter is this : 1. The County Commissioners had no author- ity to buy any abstract-books. 2. Of the 250 books they have illegally bought, nearly 200 are of kinds that do not even come within the contemplation of the law. 8: The 100 and odd books bought that ap- proach the character of tract indices are 80 de- fective and 1ll-arranged that they are practically worthlees. : 4. That Witmsns & Thielcke have confessed the uselessness of their booke by habitually re- sorting to those of other nhgm:-m;kers. wiry ? Why did the County Commissioners pay $45,- 000 for such waste paper ? Who knows? Who that knows dare tell? This tramsaction bears every mark off corruption, This is not the only sign that in the County Commissioners we have more than ono Western edition of Boss Tweed. Who will put o stop to thissteal? Aoy tax- payer can do it. The money has not been paid. That is, it has not been drawn out of the County Treasury. No one is simple onough {o suppose that more than & fraction of it will ever reach Wilmans & Thielcke. An injunction will bring the whole matter befora the courts. By the ex- penditure of afew dollars many thousaods may be saved. 1Is $45,000 too littlo to make & fusa abont? Is it pot worth while to stop the little leak that may grow into an inundating crevasse? If there is a ring of thieves and public corruptors in the County Board, let it be broken now. Have the public forgotten the story of the twelve- million-dollar New York Court-House? The County Board have been operating in the Poor- House and the Recorder’s office. If they are on their way to Court-House Square, i8 it not worth while to stop them ? S SALES OF THE WEEK. AN IMPORTANT RECORD. The market for realty bas been dull during the week. The principal transactions of interest ara given below : William D. Palmer has sold to John White 210 acres in Bec. 18, = little southwest of Mount For- est, belongiog to Mrs. Finnegan, for $10,500, in exchange for two houses snd- lots on Throop street, near Harrigon. John Hair bas sold house snd lot on Central Park avenne. near Twenty-third street, for £3,- 700; fiftystwo lots at Lawndalo for $35,000; ono lot at Sonth Lawn for $200 ; 7,500 acres lanc in Enox County, Neb., for 87,500 ; 320 acres in | Reynold County, Mo., for $32,000; one lot at Higbland Park for 250 ; three lots at North Evanston for $1,500 ; fifty Jotsin Stadman’s Sub- division, Sec. 10, 38, 10, for $10,000. F. E. Ford has 8dld lot, with improvements, 609 Van Buren street, for $16,000 ; fourlots, with improvements, Irving Place, 100 feet north of Tavlor street, west front, for $18,000. F. E. Ford, in connection with G. H. Lawton, bas sold four two-story and basement brick house on Irving Place, for $18,000. building, on Johnson placs, east front, 115 north of Thirty-ninth street, $9,000. ‘Wood & Stevens to H. Harding, 25 feet om | Jackson street, 200 feet west of California ave- nue, north front, $750. Robert Dixon to P. A. Rowland, 60 feat on Walnut street, north front, 240 feet wost of Oak- ley avenue, $7,000. o A. W. Bitchell to C. W. Brown 45 feet on Cot- tage Grove avenue, east front, 135 feet south of Union syenne, $16,000. C. A. Day to Harriet;). Locke, Lots 16 and 17, in Block 2 of Pitner's S8econd Addition to Evan- ston, $3,000. . F. Carpenter to C. E. Wiswall, the east 100 feet of Lots 1and 2, in Block 4 of Gibbs® Addi- tion to Evanston, $2,600. R. W. Paiterson to Solomon ‘arck, 2271268 feet aod 217x261 feet, corner Chappel place and Forty-third street, $42,700. BATURDAY'S TRANGSFERS. The following instrumonts were filed for reo- ord Saturday, Sept. 18 : OITY PROPERTY, Noblest, 214 ftn of Indianast, o { 28x182 ft, dated Sept, 17....37 5. e e L..'$ 1,500 Fourtesnth st, 144 {t w of Ashland v, nf, 2ix 124 ft, dated Sept. 17,eeeveeser s .. 3,500 Ontarioat, bet Norih Gtk and Dearbors ste 81, 18111 1t, with buildin o Bt. 15.. » 12,000 1,025 800 Cottage Grove av, 21 6-10 ft 8 of Thirty-eighth #t, 61, 21 2.10x10) £t, dated Sopt. 15......... 8,000 Cottage Grove av, s w cor of Thirty-eighth at, @1, 31 6-10 {t o alley, dated Sopt.18........ 9,000 Wabash av, 8 of snd near Thirty-frst at, W £, 201192 1, dated Sept. 13. . 10,000 Alexanuer t, 145 1t o of Portland i, 5x 100 1t, with other property, dated ‘Sept. 16.. 4750 Weat Jackson st, 0737 {t w of Throop st, 8 £ 120 ft, dated Sept, 16... 1,000 North Peoria st, 11 ft n 232.005116% Tt, dated Sept. 16 2,500 Auburn st, 166 1t's of Fhicty-fo 1130 Tt, dated May 24. 500 Same a8 ihe above, d i P Ilalsted ut, 153 f¢ 1 of Willow st, w , 26131 1t, ‘with buildiugs, dsted Sept. 10 sessie 1,000 Paulina st, 156 1t s of Van Buren st, o f, 21X 1363 1t, dated Aug. 2.... .. . 230 Johnion place, 93 1t v of Thirty-vinthet, o f, 21393 ft, writh buildings, dated Sept. 9.... 9,000 50 {tuwof Ward at, 8w, 25X 80 600 1,650 1t, dated Sept, 16 3 . 6000 Ogden av, n e of Taylor st, n w f, 48z100 8t - dated Sept. 17. iosssiiiinangy D000 Irving place, ear Taylor sf, w f, 983126 ft, dated Sept. 10, v .oeseesiossese i ) 18,000 Fourteenth st, 144 ft w of Ashisndav,nf, 24x124 1t, with buildings, dated Sept. 18..... 3,000 SOUTH OF OITY LIMITS, WITHIN A BADIUS OF 7 MILES OF COUR-LIOUSE. Blue Taland av, s w cor of Thirty-ninth at, a f, 74x129 ft, dated July 25.. s 1,000 ‘Wabasl av, 101 ft n of 253161 ft, dated Sept. 4. . 1,600 State st, 5 6 cor of Forty-t] £s, with buildings, dated Au; 4,700 Lot 6, Block 1, of Jackson & Weag = X Sec. 9, 39, 14, datsd Aug. 27. WEST OF CITY LDMITS, WITHIN A RADIUS OF T MILES OF COURT-LOUSE. Humboldt st, 150 ft s of Wabansia st, e f, 5UX120 ft, dated Septe 18, eevveezsnree .3 1,400 SUMMARY OF TRANSFERS FOR THE WEEK. The following 18 the total amount of city and suburban transfers within a radius of 7 miles of the Court-Hounse filed for record during the week ending Saturduy, Sept. 18: City sales, 85 : consideration, 2,490; north of city limits, gales, 4; consideration, £55,500; south of city uimits, sales, 19; cousideration, $159,823; west of city limits, sales,1; consideration, 1,400. Total sales, 109. Total consideration, $649,221. e, BUH.DING. TEE ACTIVITY DIMINISHING. The Real Estate and Building Journal gives a list of some blocks and rows of residences and business structures begun within the past four weeks : Nine brick houses, stons front, in block, three sto- ries high, 200 feet frontags on Ashland avenue, at the corner of Adams street, being erscted by James Allon. A block of thirteen connectod houses, pressed-brick fronts, total frontage 270 feot on Marshfield avenue, building by F. A. McCormick. Two four-story houses, marble fronts, with total frontage of 40 feet, and 56 feet deep, on Indiana ave- nue near Sixteontl streot, Thoss are estra fine houses erectad by J, L, James, Esq. Two brick bouses, three-story, frontage of 45 feet, on Binsell strect near Sophis, by Willizm Scott, A row, covering 170 feet front, of eight two-story and basement brick dwellings, in course of coustruc- tivn by Charles P, Keeney an the northeast corner of Taylor and Paulina streete. = 2 A double house, two-story brick, 45 foet front on ‘Weat Adams street, building by F. Hutchinson. Two fine brick dwellings, covering 100 feet front, at 126 to 130 Van Buren street, being put upat a lberal outlay by C, L. Jenks, Ablock of six two-storybrick houses, frontage 175 {eet on the corner of Oak and Rush ‘streets, built by D.J. McCormick, They are of more than the aver- ge value, and ars in 2 most desirable neighborhood, On tho corner of Madison and Throop streets, Mr. 8. B, McCormick is rebuilding on the lot, burns ver last winter, a row of four brick houses, three Stories and basement 100 feet front. This is very near Union and Jefferson Parks, and is su enviable district, On Wood street, south of Harrison strect,a fine block of three-story brick houses, four in number and 80 feet frout in totsl, is just com:uenced by C. W, Mul- Lins. A 'double houss, thres storios and full basement, built in brick, is going up on Huron street, near La- Balle. _The frontage 1s 45 feet, and the owner is A, E. Page, Esq. On Irving place, in a good neighborhood, Mr. Asron Williams has lately bogun a block of eight two-story 304 Losoment belck Louses with » total frontags of 176 e On Thirty-ffth street, west of State street, W. D. Smith 18 preparing to build four houses on 90 foet {rontage, e1cts to be two stories and. basement, fronted ‘marble. On Tompkins strest, D, F. Keeney & Co. are build- ing eight three-story brick houses, 18) feet frontage and of bandsome design and finish, A donblo house, 45 feet front, s being ereated by A. Nelson on the corner of Dent and Sophia streets, ‘Bangs Bros. are building a row of marble fronts, 80 fect front aud four in number, on Prairie svenue sonth. They will be of more than ordinary excal ence. A fine block of fiftacn two-story brick houses, with afotal frontageof over 300 feet, is to be bullt by Charles D. Korfoot, Esq. on Fuiton and Walnut streets, near Sacramonto avenue, : H. M. Wilcox is brilding thres houses, thres stories, 70 feet front,on North Ciark séreet, near Schiller street. The above list comprises a total frontage of about 2,500 feot of residence rows, which cost from $1,800 to $3.000 cach. Besides these, there have besn grauted Within a month permits for single houses covering very nearly 3,000 feet of frontage. BUILDING PERMITS, Richard Collins, thres-story briek, 25x41, eorner of Morgan and Fourtecnth streets, P. Winter, two-stary, 21x42, on West Madison, near Leavitt strect. George Bsaman, one-story, 20x53, st 101 Blus Island avenue. G. A. & F. W. Springs, four buildings, three-story, 25260, southwest corner of Michigan and Rush atreets. (Gaorge Watson, four-story, 40x100, northwest corner of Kinzie and LaSalle strects, Anton May, one-story, 2145, at 14 Lincoln place, 1. Barber, throe-story, 21x35, on Bryant, near Vin- connes avonte, 0. Nelson, four-story, 38383, on the corner of Erie and Green streets, Louis Gomel, one-story, 20x10, at 347 West Eight- *Heney Gorwith, five-story, 395145, northwest enry Col Ve Ix145, n ywest corner of Stato and Quinoy etreets. Jemims Buffington, two-story, 22x45, on North Clark street near Schuller, Magdaline Smith, two-story, 25x70, northeast corner of Purple and Twentieth streets. Cassell & Cross, four buildings, esch 20T40; two- story, on Walnut strect near Oglesbs. @ Josish Lombard has sold the W. 34 of W. 34, of N. E. }{ Sec. 85, 39, 13, for $95,000. E. H. Castle & Son have sold the residence of ‘Wing, at Hinedale, for $10,000. . 8. Gould has sold E. 1¢ of Lot 69 in Block 54, Canal Trustees’ Subdivision, Sec. 7, 39, 14, being S0 feet front on Washington street, be- tween Leavitt and Hoyne, for 3,000 cash. J. G. Huszagh bas sold the houses and lots Nos. 438 and 40 Ogden avenue for 9,000 ; 1,200 feet n Stough's Second Addition to Hinsdale, for $12,000. William H. Ferry, Jr., has sold for J. Plaum the three-story and basement stono front, No. 819 South Clark street, on lot 25x106 to alley, for $27.000. George Newbury sold one lot with three-story and basement marble-front dwelling, near the corner of Michigan avenune and Fighteenth street j consideration, $25,000. The family mansion of the Greenebaums, a fine Columbia stone building, with lot 75 by 150, on Ashiand avenue, botween Monroe and Adams streets, was sold Iast week for 31,000, all cash, to the Hon. J. Russell Jones, our lato Minister to Belgium, who has returned and makes Chicago his residence. G. M. Cooper sold twenty-five lots, each 25 by 125 feet, with frame ouilding 100 by 175 feet, and two dwélling-houses, including engine, %ox!ser, l;mi Bb(:‘lun X ‘l; I;l:wl«vn-n:»f], for George . Sanders and P’. H. Webster, to Dufly & Schro- der 5 conmderation, $33,000. - i 3 utters to Adolph Loeb the premises 165 West Randolpn Bf-reas $6,725. " Ignetx Urback to John Pender, southwest cor- ner of Throop and Clayton streets, 23,700. B.W. Underwood to Mrs. M. B. Haskins, 50 fcet on Park avenms and west of Fall street, $2.500. Jacob Rehm to J. L. Lombard, 148x814 feet, except 25xiwo, southwest corner of Park avenue 20d ¥, ason axreet, $50,000. H. W. Gose to Heary White, 25x120 on Jack- son street, west of Throop street, eouth front, $4,500. 8 G. M. High to Joseph Ofenlock, 25 feet on Perry avenue, north of Belden, west froat, 8450. T. 8, Johnson to AnwJ. Shaw, 23 feel, with ‘Ssme party, four buildings, each two-story, 30x40, on Fulton atreet near Oglesby. J. Scanlon, one-story, 24x135, at 409 West Taylor sireot, N. K. Fulrbazk, five-story, 50x107, at 43 snd 45 Mon- roo street. John Lutwic, one-story, 20x28, at 772 Goethe strect, J. Haltro, two-story, 2456, at 1098 Lake atreet. kl;z:nmll Eearns, two-story, 24x56, at 64 Gurley street, M. Porter, seven bufldings, each two-story, 25132, in. Groat place, near Belden street. W. A. Cordemzn & Co., four- buildings, 20132, on Walnut, near Catifornia avenue, C. H, Blalr, two-story, 30zi9, on cormer of Peck court and Michigan avente. . Henry Klein, one-story, 22152, st 103 Michigan ave- e, (J3cob . Sebastian, onestory, 18:27, at 68 Hills stree D. McKillop, one-stary, 16x20, st 1244 Halated ntreat. 3. H, Ozpinwall, two-story, #2x70, at 604 North La Salle street, 3..C. McCord, ten buildings, each three stories, 20x 40, on 'Wabash avenue, near Thirty-fourin street. Bame party, & similar building, 25240, at same place. W. L. Itoss, three-story, 24x8, at 78 Lincoln avenue, E. B, Holmes, two-story, 23x56, on southwest corner of Ashiand avenue and Congress street. . H, two-atory, 100x1 et ot rolino two-story, 20132, at 355 e I e o, 5 oy E. Marks, one-stors, 20163, a4 76 West Mouros streef Catholic Bishop of Chicago, two-story, 24x46, on Twenty-8{ih street, it s J. Holsinworth, two-story, 23x35, at 1134 West In- James Les, ons-story, 1612, at 221 Twenty-seventh diana strest, street. n‘ufi‘:_’ Phillips, three-story, 2242, at 1511 Wabash, H. Strumel, four-atory, 25360, st 133 Fourth avenue. S o THE LOAN MARKET. MANY RENEWALS. The statement below foots up s fair amonnt of business for the past woek, but a careful analysis shows thai many instruments are re- newals, and that one involving a consideration of over 160,000 is to seours an acormed in- debtedness. The demand for maney bas fallen ), corner of Olark and .| havds.of the wealthy oft, there not being so many new building proj- ecta in contemplation as thers were a fow weeks ago. Agents report that payments are being satisfactorily met, and that very few defanlters are numbered amongat their legitimato custom- ers. The rates for money are unchanged. COMPARATIVE STATEMENT YOR ZHE WEEK ENDIXG 8xPT, 18, 1875, 1874, . fera-| tion. | No. P 53”8.59‘1. 46; 3 7L40] 264 $606,590 26iucieenn ra- tion, $540,550 125,800 No. 244 Releases. ... m|........ GOMFARATIVE BTATEMENT Fmod SEPT. 1 {0 sEPT. 18, 1875. 1874 Considera-| | Considera- No.| " tun. tion. '555“1,5.11.1(8 694] $1,926,345 83, 110,614 187 = 310,010 R3] $2,236,355 Instruments, | No. Trust-deeds. CORRESPONDENCE. HOW WORKINGMEN MAY HELP THEMSELVES TO CHEAP INOXES, To the Editor of The Chicago Tribune : Caicaco, Sept. 18.—I bave read with deep interest your articles on cheap suburban travel for the benefit of workingmen. Let me give your readers in brief the detalls’ of a plan by which a number of workingmen might unite their resources to procure cheap homes, and cbenp access to them. Let them buy land in some suburb at 3200 or $300 an acre, divide it into lots at cost price, making the price of a lot to each sbout $30, which could bo paid one-quarter cash, the palance in one, two, and three yoars. Then lot the workingmen during the wintor, when con- tractors have no employment for them, turn in altogether and build houses for each other on these lots,—the bricklayer doing the brick work for all, the carpenter his kind of work for all, and soon. The raw matorial for a house of the kind required would not cost more than 8120. The cost of this could be defrayed by monthly sssesamenta of 38 or §10. The cheap transpor- tation could be secured by buying the land only on that railroad which would agree toruna train night and morning at cheap rates to so- commodate this cheap co-operative settlement. E. CounTyEY, No. 338 Centre avenue, Chicsgo, i i MISCELLANEOUS, REAL ESTATE IN NEW YORE. The New York Herald continues its articles abont the *'noiseless panic in real estate.” It asserts that the general shrinkage since 1872-73 has been fully one-third on general parcels, while eomo specialties, that in expectation of a greater rise had been ron up to fictitious and unnatural prices, had scttled away 50 per cent. This view of the market is fully confirmed by subsequent inquiries amoog the savings benks snd the life insurance companies, whore heavy volumes of bonda and mortgages are held. It is generally conceced by officials of these: institutions that on all property except sach as is in tho and unembarrassed cwners, the shrinkageis from 80 to 83}¢ per cent on the ruling prices of 1873. Alresdy many of these institutions have had resurvers made of the property upon which they have made advances, and are calling in o suificient awount to cover the shriukage. The Presidont of one savings bank that holds over £G,000,000 of bonds and mortgages roeports that he bas taken this precaution, fearing that in some de- scriptions of property there will be a still groater dropping away of prices, and that other banks and some life insurance companies have, tosome extent, done likewse, ‘The Herald gives a table of the amounts in- vested in New York mortzaces by the eavings banks and insurance companies : New York savings banks....§ 64,647,332 New York firg/and marine surance compznies. 10,950,910 ‘New York life insm panies, e 119,931,887 " 595,830,129 Brooklyn savings banks......$ 16,250,047 Brooklyn fire insurance com-~ DSTER. oasioneee wosianrene 1,416,837 Brookiyn life insurance com- — 19,005,384 Grand total invested by banks and n- surance companies (New York and Brooklyn)..... veee.. $214,835,513 The total valust in this city upon which the rateof taxation is based is §500,000,000, which is on the basia of 60 per cent of tho real salue, Tt will be seen that within a fraction of one-fourth of {his amount Is under mortgage or hypothecated with these corporations who have bonds locked up in their vaults drawing interest. Ta addition to this, is estimated that $155,- 000,000 of private capital are invested in mort- gages. 7 % As to the shrinkage in valuep it says : . No considerable number of resl-estate opcrato: agree s to the shrinkage of values on certain lines of proporty this year sacompared with the high-priced Periods of 1872-3; yet all seem to concede the general hrinkage has been fully one-third, or 33} per cent. With s view of ssceriaining the shrinkage, as regards location, inquiries have by instituted. and one of the real-estate irms that is looked upon as inclined to “bull” the market, candidly admits that their ssles show the following decline aince 1872-73: Shrinkage. Location. Per Cent. Ahout Inwood and Spuyten Duyvil, 35 ‘About Fort Washington.......-.. Along Eighth avenue {rom One hundredand forty-fifth to Fifty-ninth strest.. ........ 35 Along the Grand Bonlevard from Fifty-ninth 1o One hundred and ifty-fifth street....... 40 to 85 Along Fifth avenue from Fifty-ninth to One hundred and twenty-fourth street. . to 35 Along @eventh svenue from One hundred and tenth to One hundred and forty-fifth low Fifty-ninth strost. THE BEAT, ESTATE PAKIC OF 1 The New York Herald of Juve 6, 1837, bad the following article illustrativo of the panic and its results : There {5 nothing more interesting, nothing mors ‘philosophical, nothing more like ** Listory teaching by example,” than to contrast times and seasons with each other, Take, for instance, the land specalaticns of 1831 and 1837. On the “1st of My, 1835, we wrote an artiele, then pablished in the Herald, as follows: Not long since a well educated, poished, intelloctual person, a branch of one of the earliest emigrants, camo %o this city to reside and spond bis time agreeably, Ho was in poascssion of fortune, enug, not largs, prob- ably $66,000, or thereabouts, One morning o friend of his, au fait i the value of real estate, the fall and rise of every rock or hesp of rubbish oo the fsland, asked him, “ Would you like to make a small specula~ tion inland?” *Idont know,” replied the other,” 1 sm quite ignorant of tho valus of Jand.” *Never mind,” 8aid the friend, * purchase thia lot; it ia tho Dest in the market ; keep it a few months and seo how it will come out.” The gentloman did so. It was what ia called the Commodore Chauncy property. It is situsted on tho castern shore of the ialand, near Yorkville, about 15 acres, and cost §60,000. It ‘was the ssme which was sold the other dsy for $120,000. This {a ome of the nomerons specimens of the large sums of momey Tecently made in speculations in landed property. * The spirit of manis is rising higher. From the hours of 12 to 2 the public sale-room in the Exchange is crowded to suffocation with buyers and sellers. Three or four auctioneers in one corner are sometimes busy at tho ssme moment. Lands in every partof the country—good, bad, indifferent, rocks, mountains, Iakes, swatnpe, meadows, aiuvial—are selling and ro- melling a8 if the people were mad. . . . Theauc- tioncers and someof the dealers are making rapid fortunes, Of one it s said he will clear this year $60,000 out of his commissions, anatner $40,000, another $25,000, ete. 1t is now Ligh tide, full moon, but take caro for theturn. . . . The real estatoin Maiden Iane, Water street, up town, down town, hias varied three or four times from 2t0 30 per cent on its value during the last twelve or fifleen months. Be csutious, be prudent. What is the picture now? We will tell. About & year ago a company purchased of Mr, A, Scherm norn a farm belonging to him, situsted on Gowanus ‘Bay. below Brooklyn, for $100,000, of which $50,000 ‘wors paid in cash, and & bond and mortgage given for the balance at 7 per cent, As soon as completed, tho Company laid ont the farm in streets, lanes, squsres, docks, slips, and “eversthing,” as Mastar Dogberry says, * handsome about them.? Gowanus Day was to De made a great port,—a town was to be erected, ships built, & charter gof, Moyor and Aldermen elected, and again, as Dogberry says, * everything comfortable about them,” But the revulsion came. . Lands, lots, towns, swamps, not only were not salsble, but they wers worth nothing beyond the crop of cabbages you could ralse on them. Things became so bad that the Company called » moeting. * Whatshallwedo? We havo $50,000to pay. How can we rase {t2® After sleeping o day and & balf on the ess .. they shook thetr hesds and came to the resolution, + Let us give the =0 back into Mr. Schermer- horn's handa; we will Jose the first laetallment of $50,000, but we may save tha ktter, aiso of $30,000. This proposition was accordingly made to 'the pro- prietor. e shook his head. 1l gtk fo tho bar- gnin.’ -y stared, consul e horoscope again, ¥ad then, lifiing up their eyen, weeping, mid: * Well ive $10,000 and all the tand if you will take f¢ back and cancel the bond and mortgage.” This is now the condition of the negotiation. . . . Bomuch for the land spooulations of 1635 and 1837, Oh! Oh! Oh! While thers is no probability of & monetary p'mch s:bpmonl.f.haxhuwzy of the past clearly shows the neoeasity for spesulawrs ia real ea~ tate to bs canticus, EUROPEAN GOSSIP, Cfium ot Love as Revived under the Second French Empire. Yictor Emanuel’s Prowess as a Hunter.-- A Parisian Actresses’ Fete, How Eugenie Got France to Declare War Against Germany. Remarkable Adventure of & French Scldier —The Worries of King Alfonso. COURTS OF LOVE. & To one of the little reunions at the Tailerios under the Second Empire (says Arsene Hous- saye), Prosper Merrimee attempted to revive, for the amusement of the Empress, the Provencal Courts of Love. He appointed him- goit President of & Court; but before coming to the famous case upon which he sat in judg- ment, I will say a word about those mediexal tribunals, and give you a copy of a decision once rendered in them, with but elight changes in the phrascology. “Before the Marquis of Flowers and Violets ot Love comes the suit of a lover plaintiff, of the first part, and of & young Friend, defendant, of tho second part: The aforesaid lover claims that the greatest good of love is to retain the heart of lovers in perfect alliance and union; and that each and every time that the Lady sceks to be agreeable to another than her Friend, it is a sign that her Lieart 18 not wholly loyal, and that she is not to be trusted : * This being presumed, the lover adds that the young Friend had sworn to him eternal fidelity While life endured, and ke in hke menner to her, with solemn oaths befitting the cass : ** That notwithstanding, the said Lady has not failed to hold conversation with other gentle- men, and other forbidden female friends, going 80 far a3 to wear at her girdle new bouquets and surange flowers, which had not - been given by the said lover, from which he bas suffored head- aches and sleepless nights. *On the part of the Lady defendant it is an- swered, that promises made by ladies should be taken a8 subject to their good pleasure, and that whatever claims one might bhaye upon them, nothing should prevail against their will or ca- price, for that they are Ladios ; and that theyare not expected (o renounce in advance good things unknown that their natural privilege is to be agreeabls to all 50 ne not to pass for prudish or ill-tempered. + Finally, both parties beiug heard by the tri- bunal of love, the defendant is acquitted snd absolved from the claim of the plaiatiff, and per- mission is given her, in virtue of her trade as woman, to talk, laugh, salute, wear bouquets of all colors and kinds, without criticiem, let, or hindrance ; costs to be assessed on plaintiff.” “Tiy ever thus. Now what was the famous caze of that Court of Love presided over by Mermmee? ‘They started this excessively ticklish question: whether it 1 permitied to s Queen to save the dvnasty.by violating her conjugal faith. The Prince Imperial was then in the world, so that the question had no_personal application, All the ladies were called upon for ~their opinion. One of them thought it was a coap d'etat like any other. The Emperor came in unexpactedly. *Siro,” said the Empress, with her charming emile, ¢ we are playing with fire, but we shall not get burned, for we have s safe President.” They then told him the suestion bofore the meating. The Emperor entered gayly ioto the proceedings, and proposed the corresponding question whether a husband's infidelity could be excused when committed to save the public peace. After some lively discussion it was de- cided that the proposers of both questions should be turned out of court by different doors. VICTOR EMANUEL AS A HUNTER. J. Adolphus Trollope writes from Rome to the New York Tribune: * Vietor Emanuel, none the worse for the worries of a very worrying season, is enjoying his best leved sport in high feather among the hisher mountsins of the Piodmontese Alps. At the last accounts His Majesty, who seems every whit as ardent and enterprising a sportsman as he was twenty years ago, was on the point of sarting on an expedi- tion among the higher sammits of the Vale of Aosta in search of the **ateinbok.” This large and magnificentiy-horned variety of the chamois, or wild mountain goat, is, as is well known, very nearly extinct, and is only to be found, if found at all in its remotest and most inaccessiblo fastnesses. To briog home a *steinbok ™ confars the blne ribbon of Alpine ufloflamam ship! Victor Emaoue! had alreedy had good sport, having sent bis second son, Prince Amadeo, who was assisting at a review of troops on 8 large scale in the lowlands many a thou- sand feat below his bappier sire, two magnifi- cent chamois which bad fallen to his own gun the day before. Those who know anything of the conditions of Adpine sportsmanship wili be aware that this is a measure of succees of which any banter in Tyrol er Switzerland might well be proud. The chamois is in fact an excesdin, ly difticalt quarry, under the most fsvorable cir- cumstancos. But the fact is that the King isreal- Iy a first-class shot. It is not 8o mnny years ago that, havingin & meuatsin expedition wandered 4 away from all thoss who were with him, he came to a solitary mountain farm, just after be had shot a hare. The farmer, who had seen the shot, complimented the stranger sportsman on the ex- cellenes of his shooting. The King admiited that he did consider himsell a presty fair shot. «I wish to heaven,” said the farmer, looking at him wistfolly, © that youn could shoot a fox that robs my poultry-yard almost every night! I'd give & motta—an obsolete Piedmontese piece, worth 8 cents—to have himkilled ! * *‘Perhaps I could! ” gaid the King. ** But you must be here by 3 o‘clock in the morning! That's about the time he alwayscomes.” ** Well! amottayou say! I'll try forit. I'll be hero about that time to- morrow morning ! ” Aceordingly, without al- lowing"any one to know the errand on which he was bound, the King found himself at the moun- tain homestesd st the appointed hour, and posted himseH in a favorabie position for watch- ing the procesdings of tho depredator of the farm-yara. Reynard did not make himself loog waited for, but fell dead at the first shot of the royal marksman, to the great delight of tbe farmer, who, true to his word, came down with his motta on the nail handsomely. The King pocketod the coin, and went off to exhibit it wit] great gles, as *‘ the first money he had ever earned by the work of his own hands!” HOW FRANCE DECLARED WAR AGAINST GER- MANY, Arsene Houseaye writes from Paris to the New York Tribune: On what slight throads hang the destinies of nations! The Dake of Gramont did not have all the good fairies at his cradle. There came one who said, “You are too band- some. You can never refuse anything to a wo- man.” Here is a legend which is related in the most exclusive diplomatic circles, under the mantelpiece of M. Thiers where all the Embas- sadors, ordinary and extraordinary, are wont to asgemble. After the more or less pacific explanatioas of the last interview at Ems with Count Benedetti, thers was a council at night at the Tuileries, at which peace was peremptorily decided upor by the Emperor, who was the most prudent of the party, because he hatea bloodshed, &nd who did not think a gory baptism was necessary to the consecration of the Prince Imperial. Lut there were two sovereifns at that tuue on the throne. Beside the Emgesor, reiened the Emprees. ‘When everything was peacefuolly decided, the Emperor. who was then iil, went to bed, like Titus, content with his day's work. Bat the Em- press was moro wakeful, In her turn she held s conncil. Here the evil fairy of the Duke of Gramont made her appearance, for he consented to this council through pure gallantry. And throngh pure gallaniry he left too much of the talking to the Empress, who thought that war ‘was the only salvation of France, and who when ebe said France alwaya meant her son. She took possesgion of every one. She was really elo- quent in talking of the national dignity ; she said that the Emperor's good heart would gain both France and the dynasty. Besides, all the news- papers aad all the Deputies were for war. It would not do to svim against the carrent. They would gain the Ruine with .one battle; they would chastise Germeny, and return trinmphal with W of Europe secared for a century. Everybody was convinced ; the Duke of Gra- mont alone, perhaps, having Goubta of all these fine things, Butas it wss & woman Who was speaking, he bad the gallantry not to oppose 'hs:i’ Tl,wy wnka& npaleho E'l:pem:, who ::1. al- Tesdy sleeping the the just, ex- ~torted from him the da:rg'lficn of j'll. % This ta the wey tiat the ovil fairy who visitad seadls of the Dake of Gramont and who might be called the Fairy of Good Graces, help- ed to lose for us two provinces and five milliards. The Duke bad not that day the cournge of hia gpxmons. because & woman was speaking before 1m. AN ACTRESSES’ FETE. The Parisian actreases’ fete for the benefit of the victims of the inundations went off with great spirit, and was = great success. To be sure, the queens of the Parisinn theatres, the actreescs] of the Comedio Francaise, the Gym- nase, the Odeon, or the Vaudeville, took no part therein, but on the other hand there was a fall representation of the queens of the opera-bouffe. The feto took place in the lovely garden of the Concert Murard, which was brilliaatly ilinmi- nated. Some of the actresses ware in costume, ove appearing a8 & Merveilleuse, another asa Spanish girl, two pretty creatures ag Alsatian peasants, eto. Pretty Aimee, exquisitely dressed in rich embroidered muslin, trimmed with Valencieones lace, and looped up with pale bius ribbons, circulated among the groups selling lottery tickets. She was covered with diamonds, and wore a bawitching little bat shad- ed with a long ostrich plume of palest blue. Her emile and her graceful golicitations were generally found to be irresistibla, and her tickets went off like wild-fire. Celine Moutoland, Dar- taux of the Gniste, and Schneider the irrepressi- ble, presided over the Tombols, and dispensed photographs of themselves ag well as fruits and cigar;. An immepse crowd gathered around them, and each purchaser of a_photograph had the plessure of having it signed by the fair origi- nal. Montoland looked extremely lovely with her shining, blus-black hair, shining like fotds of satin under a pale piok bonnet, the front of which was filled with palo pink rose- buds. The irropressible Schneider was, of course, the centre of attraction. Flying from side to side, exhoriing one, scolding another, coaxiog a third, the jovial Grand Dachesse filled a large space in the consideration of the sudience. Seen near at hand, traces of her age may be detected (she is well on the shady sido of 40), but her laughing blue eyes, her dimples, her lovely little hands and feet, and the magnifi- cent mirthfalress of her smile, aro all charmas that defy the ravages of timo. Tks third 1n the coterie was the quiet, lady-like Dartaux, who contented herself with dispensing her wares in more modest fashion. Schoeidar’s drees was thoroughly characteristic of the woman. It was composed of the finest white muslin and super Valenciennes lace, but was rumpled and crushed out of all freshness and elegance ; and no won- der, for the way ehe whisked her by no means small self about was wonder:ut to behold. AN OLD SOLDIER'S ADVENTURE. An old soldier of the First Empire has just died, who had a most singular adventure, His name was Rouesel, and he wasa young private in 1807, when the French took Rugen, a small island in the Baltic. Itwas occupied by s de- tachment of Davoust's corps, when orders came to evacuate it with all haste and without a mo- ment's delay. The companions got away with such haste that they forgot Roussel, who was doing sentinel dnty upon an outpost. Entirely uoaware that his comrades had embarked, ho waited several hours for the relief guard, and only left his post whon pressed by hunger, to find that he was the only Frenchman on the island, *Ah!” he cried, I am set down 38 a_deserter,—dishonored forever,” and tho wretched sentinel began to cry like a child.. A man living near was touched by this distress, and took Rousrel home with him, lodged and fed him, gave him work, and after a time bertowed upon him bis daughter’s band. The forgotten soldier lived very bappily there for five years, during which time a daughter had been born, but one day Roussel was thrown into & great etate of excitement by the sight of & French flag flying from the masthead of a frigate. He imagined thaf they had sent to search for him, and that his time bad come. He -would certainly be tried for deserting in time of war aod be shot. But a sudden ides gave him coursge. Ronning home, he put on his umform, seized his gun, and, taking up his old posL, began to march up and down his beat. ** Qui vive ?” he cried as the French boat came near the stiore. ** Qui vive yoursell ?” was the reply. “Sentimel,” responded Roussel. “Since whan 7" * Since five years ago.” An explanation teok plaes on shore, and the deserter malgre lui was taken off the island. Davoust laughed very heartily when he heard of the ad- venture, and had a conge made out in due form and delvered to the soldier. He also procured some emplovment for-him, the war being then over, aud the Govermment gave him asum of money for his danghter. In after years he brought his family to Fraoce, and seems to have prospered 1n his labors. . KING ALFONSO ! The Madrid correspondent of the London Times says : The Ministers find the King alons when they coms in ; they leave bim alone when they are dismissed. Private, intimate connsel ho has nome, for his sister seldom or never erosses the threshholdof the King's apartments, and most of hor time is spent in long visits to the Madrid nunneries. The King's household has been chosen for him, and the friends who came with him from Pacis, if they have access to him aro debarred from their former familiar intercoursa. On a recent oceasion, it is said, the yrmng King, being on the point of retiring to rest, witl no other attendant than his old friend and ser- vant Marphy, now Conde de Morphi and Gentle- man of the Bedchamber, was fidgeting about the room in his mght-dress, rammaging from cor- ner to corner, looking under and bekind the bed- stead, as:f be could summon no resolution fo turn in. Morphi, greatly surprised, asked his Royal master * what ailed him, or what cagse he had for alarm or uneasiness ?" ** Ah, nol” ex- claimed the King, * I am not atraid; I was looking to see whers Alcanices had hid himself ; but it seems ho i6 really gone ; and,” he add with giee, ** we are rid of him till to-morrow.” This txifling anecdote, which was at the time the themo of general alk, whether anthentic or not, isnot without serious significance, Alcan- ices, or the Duque de Sexto, familiarly known in Madrid under his second title, isa good-natured, vopular nobloman, a grand seigneur, who keeps a good stnd of horses, and employs 8 Yorkshire groom ; and heis by no means personally ob- noxious to the young Sovereign. to whose cause be has been consistently devoted. It wasonly a harmless joke that Don Alfonso indulged in when he thus hinted that even the company of bis Mayordomo 3layor could be toujours perdriz to him. Batit would be no matter for wonder if the perpetaal watch and restraint the Govero- ment deem it expedient to put upon the King's movements should prove somewhat irksome to him, and he should wish now and then to be re- lessed from a compauion, however amusing, who seems commissioned tofollow him as his shadow. A_BOGUS SUICIDE. A letter from Paris says that great commotion 'was created 1n the wood of Vincennes a few days ago by the digcovery, by & party of promenaders, of the body of a well-dressed young man sus- pended from one of the branches of a sturdy osk, while his dog, lying on ths ground just be- peath his dzogling feet, scemed to keep watch over the corpse. The terrified pleasure-seekers hastily summoned one of the foreat-keepers, who advanced to cut the body down. A sudden kick from the suppused dead man sent him staggering in the other direction, while the dog, with & howl of fury, fastened his teeth in Lis leg. This done, the body bung motionless as before. i “Try agsin,” eaid one of the bystanders; *that movement was merely the resnli of mus- cular contraction.” Bat tho second attempt was rttended with the same resalt, and then a shout of lanzbter from the apparent corpge revealed ths sesret. The whole affair was a neactical joke. ‘I'he youag {fiow ‘was suspended, not by his neck, but by & cdrd passed uudor his arms, and he had had the courage and perseverence to remain hanging in that painfal position for more than an hour in order to successfully take in somebody. Unfor- tunatoly the joke will not prove as langhable a one as he at first imagined, a8 he was at once arrest- ed 2nd taken to the station-house on ths two charges of defaciog the rees and having kicked & keeper of tho forost. THE ELIFRESS OF AUSTRI!A. The Empreea of Austria istaking the sea-baths at Petites-Dalles,near Sassetot, Seine-Infarienre. The Empress is a suberb swimmer. Sho takes her bath every morning at 9 o'clock. Her cabin and that of her ladies of honor are togefher, under one roof, separated into rooms or cabins by curtaios. The cabin of the Empress has a corridor, with & room on either side. Inone is her bathing dress, and the fioor is covered with waxed cloth ; in the other ie a chair and emalt toilette table. on which is & mirror, framed in bamboo. Simple enough. But the Empress of Austria is & remarkably simple pereon in habits and dress; ehe never wears a fewel uo- I el eoniiio T s b 47 Boie: o 28 ie. Bh:h in wourning for the lnopu.‘hgm Ber- dinapd. Hbe WeAIs & Disck creleems eoafumo trimmiog; black straw bat with bnid and leather brqdoq:ins—tnan uaz;% c;::u' mountain walking boots, that &re all the s, uow. _Several iadies of honor scoom s R0 dressed 1m the same uopretending stylel Ll hind them follows o negress maid, who'm“," o loash the Empress’ favorite dog, s tramengges ly-large Danish hound. After tha baty H Majesty, her ladies, the negress, and the gy walk the full length of tho onlr airsetin et Dalles; at the end she stops fora cup of % Iwhi%h i:‘ :nilked from the cowin her mug:.;’k n the afternoon she rides on ho: five hours. eback four wad THE “ POCKET PANTHEON.” Pierre Veron, who has been man bon mots 8o long that one might almost 4, there was no material left, has just published little volume in Paris, callod the ** Pockst h:. theon.” 1t isa kind of pillory where the man has placed both his friends and his mies. No Parisian would thiok of sparing o friend and spoiling & joke. If the mos; and, at the same time, spirifuel of TeParteey were nttered at his expense, he would Tecite iy in company quite as speedily aa though it wers told of his enemy. There is notking unking fy Veron’s books. Even when the blows hit a litle hard, they are fntended oy for vhement caresses. All the nntcn‘n'gz aro aranged alphabeticall. Of a g tain Countess, who, as the French e say, * did not find her coat-of arms in her go® dle,” Veron says: ‘‘She is a noiable who, like tue Nile, does not desire to have one discover her source.” Of Detaill, ::1 artist, Yeron soys: - Young arkist, arrived af the height of his reputation by oxpress train, ‘We are a little afraid that he has taken Aetam ticket.” Of Schneider: ‘‘Like all pri she is said to be fond of those who make meri. fices.” Of Alphonse Rayer: ‘‘An amiable k. erary man 2nd 8 beloved director—two progy. gies.” And for Meilhac he Las this pretty com. pliment: *“ How is it that he always looks s ennuye? Does he nover re-read his own Works Veron also gives us in his little volume some dg. licious souvenirs of Alfred de Musset. and of the poet’s brother, Paol, who once ig. ++ Alfrea’s glory is my only egotism.” i MADAME DIJON. The American colony in Paris has jus sus tained s great and probably an irreparabls losg in the death of Madame Dijon. Who was Mad. { ame Dijon ? you will naturally inquirs. Shewsy the head of the best-conducted boarding-houss: for Americans in Paris, a place where our citi zeos abroad were always sure of finding g hearty welcome, combined with ths best of fary and the most moderate of charges, She msdy American dishes her specialty, and our Ambas. sadors and Coneuls have ofion meb to discam her waffles and buckwhoat cakes, her oystar sonp, succotash, and pumpkin pie. For yam her unpretending establishment on the Bny Coumartin has been looked upon as a sort of American territory in a forsizn land. Madsme Dijon was a bright, activo little old lady, strong. Iy resémbling the popular idea of a benevalmf fairy. HUMOR. The height of impudence—~The lengthofy book-agent. A number 7 hat will just fit » St. Louis mos quito-bite.—Miltwaukee Sentinel. The Maksters elected Mr. A. King ss hesd of their Execntive Committes. Alas! that's ng the only A. King head for which ¢hey are respoo- sible. Ode to my landlady—Two weeks' board-bil —FEzchange. Yes. She unaer stavza joke cf that kind, and that’s why you'rea verse to mste, ‘we suppose.—Brooklyn Argus. A rude fellow ouce told Barnum thathshud never exhibited anything that was not aban- faced humbng. *Yes, I have,” maid *the bearded lady wasn't barefaced.” The Providence JFress says that mosquitoss listen to each other with thaix’.lntcnnn. ‘Thes, in agelking of the mosquitoes’ lack of an, would it be proper to aay their antennms? ‘When & man wants to be mean and showbix littleness, he builds his garden-fence sohigh that no neighbor's cow can more than_look over it and feel her mouth water aé the sight of the cabbages. s It wasafter dinner, and it waa dull ; the cow versation did not seem to etart in theleast. Then the cynic said : * Will nobody go homs that we may have a fine rtunity to tesr him all to pieces a8 soon a8 he leaves ?” ‘When » Missouri engineer ditched his traio, hs faintly asked : * Did it kill any one who parted his hair in the middle?”” They answersd that three such wers lying dead. **Then I dis hap- py!” he sighed, and was soon no more, Nothing is so discouraging to s young lawyer, just =8 he waxes eloquent about engels’ tears, weeping willows, and tombetonss, a8 to tere rupted by the cold-blooded Justice with, *You'ra offt Jour nest, bub; this is a case of hog-sceal- . A jailer in & Western titate had recsived strict ordors not to keep his prisoners in solitary coa~ finement. Once, when he had &wo in charge, one escaped, and he was obliged to kickths other ont of the door, to comply with the regu- Iation. Sam—* I say, Jim. how do you like my new sweet of clothes ?” Jim—** Sweet ob_clothes! Go ’long. You mesn suit ofclothes.’ Sam—*Gs Yloog wid yer ownself, you ‘black ignoramus! - Don't folks as knows French saysweet of rooma? Well, do eamo am applicable to clothes. Ga/ whitewash yourself.” A German peddler sold » man a liquid for the extermination of bugs. ** And how do youuss 1t ?” inquired the man, after he had bought it ¢+ Ketch te bug und drop one little drop into his mout,” answered the peddler, “ The deuce yoi do ! ” exclaimed the purchaser. ** I could Hfll'! in half that time by stsmping on it.” ** Vell? ! exclaimed the Gerinan, ** dat is a good vay t00.". * An American Judge was obliged to slesp with an Irishman ina_crowded hotel, when she fol- Jowing conversation ensued : *Pat, yon would have remained a_long time in the 0ld Country befors yon could have siept witha Ju;dn_: would you not, Pat?” **Yes, yer Houor, Pat; *and I think yoor Honor would have been 2 long time in the Old Country before yo'd been a Judge, too.” : ‘When a Nevada photographer wants to makes good picture, he puts the sitter in his place. pulls out & navy-rovolver, cocks it levelsit st the man’s head, aod says: ‘¢ Now jist you st perfectly still and don’t move & bair; pubod & calm, pleasant expression of conntenancs, sad look right into the muzzle of this revolver, 8 T'll blow the top of your head off. My roputs tion as an artist is at stake, and I don'c want 08 nonsenae about this picture.” There don’s appear to be mrch limit to a fara= Isborer's hours. A man who Lias boon Workizg for a New Canaan farmer, putting in ‘huteer to sisteen hours a dsy, qut on #What's the matter y—don’t you fike a8 ssked the farmer. *Oh, yes! I hks u:'emrlm well encugh,” explained the band, *but the nights are gocting so long I'm afraid I csn’tdia foll day's work.” The farmer smiled like an )8 valid. ; A citizen of Vicksburg who wanted sf¥ hours’ work done, accosted s colored }mIHQ: inquired if he would like & job. upd lize to o it, bat I baven's iime,” was the snawer, “Mun yon doo’t Beem to be doing anything.” “Tdon eh! Well, now I'zo gwine fishin’ to-dsy. 700 morrow I'ze gwine obor the riboer. Next. 3 Tze kot to git my butes fixed. NestdsrT3e, gine to mend the tabls; and ds Lawd kooTd ow I'ze to git frew de week nnless I hiro 823 to halp me!” ] Dr. Bethune used to tell a good story sbot two Scotchmen wiro came to this conntry wz“ years ago. ‘‘What'a the matter, A.ndu-i‘d ' Jo seem sao troubled this morning 2" Ik LS Tearfnl dresm in the niche” ‘- Whatdid ¥ droam?” I dinna like to toll.” “Did78 ‘dream ve saw the deil 2" _* No, it was far wE! ? than that.” *Did ye dream yer mither w8 1 g dead?” Ko, it was far waur tban that.” * Wal, i what did ye dr 7 “Way I her, Sbe aid not want him to bear it, ® &3 © took s wad of cotton ount of her pochfimd stuffed his ears with it. Bhe then h-drhim xoed 24 that the reader did not hear 3 ward of was hame again.” 1t is related that the Postmaster of Monticello. the letter in & low voice, and waa pel i wished 3¢ A man in a neighboring county, wh:b e * Ga., recently performed the bost of resdiog & Ietter withoat hearing its contents. An oldwo- man, who had never been to school, got 8 resd if. write a history of his family, was unabl tain the necessary material; but, when nominated for Congress, the opposition one dsy, and asked the Postmaster to ished him lete history of the Jurniel a complete history for aix generations back, sud didn't charge bi? 2cent. “But ho says _he doesn't believe }" . great-great-great-grandmother was barned being & witch, and that his gt father was hanged fox stasling & sboCDy in thoe papers.