Past Press

WRITER STRIKE

2009-09-03T21:04:00.000-04:00

HEADLINE

2009-09-02T22:18:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow's Past Press, as well as Friday's, will be afternoon/late editions.

Oh thank GOD this was published! Crisis averted.

2009-09-02T08:26:00.004-04:00

REV. HENRY WARD BEECHER it is announced will occupy his pulpit in the Plymouth Church to-morrow morning and evening as usual.

(c) NYTimes 1854. Original Article

High-rollin' Dutch invest in Gould.

2009-09-01T08:13:00.004-04:00

HOW JAY GOULD ASTONISHED THE DUTCH.

From the London Railway News, Aug. 16.

We hear from Amsterdam that Mr. Jay Gould has been rather astonishing Dutch financiers. It appears that he has been negotiating with bankers there about a Kansas railroad whose affairs have been in litigation for several years. He finally offered $1,300,000 for the first mortgage bonds held by the syndicate, which they accepted, with the proviso that interest should be added to the date of payment. Gould agreed, but created a sensation by immediately writing a check on Messrs. J.S. Morgan & Co., of London, for the full amount.

(c) NYTimes 1879. Original Article

Boys, we are good! Let's bring him insi--HEY! Where'd he go!?

2009-08-31T08:19:00.005-04:00

CAUGHT AND LOST A HORSE THIEF.

JAMAICA, L. I., Aug. 30.--The Richmond Hill police captured a horse thief early this morning, and in their exultation over their clever work let the prisoner get away. The man was met by Capt. Badger riding a horse toward Brooklyn about 2 o'clock this morning. The Captain asked him some questions, and receiving answers he knew to be false, made the arrest.

The prisoner was kept on his horse, and the animal was given to Policemen Ploss and Randolph to bring to this place. Ploss led the horse, while his companion walked in the rear to prevent the thief's escape. Arriving near the jail here, they met two members of the Jamaica force. While they were exchanging compliments, the thief slipped off the animal's back and disappeared in the darkness. He was not recaptured.

(c) NYTimes 1894. Original Article

Two turtle doves and a cartridge in a pear tree.

2009-08-30T08:45:00.004-04:00

Boston is allowed to be the head of our civilization, because she has a barren sort of stony ground about her, somewhat resembling Attica, and because she is near Plymouth Rock and Bunker Hill, all undeniable (and hard) facts. But she has a few relics of barbarism still, and, in some respects, is no better than New-York or Philadelphia. A match for $400 took place a short time ago between two Presidents of gentlemen's clubs for the killing of a flock of pigeons with guns, and the creatures were killed accordingly. Now, why not kill rats instead? Rat-killing has a quality of use in it, and we can pardon dogs when they go in among the vermin, "and maunch, and maunch, and maunch." But that shattering of pigeons--also called turtle doves--it is not a fitting business for the civilized and solid men of Boston. Dog-fights, rat-fights, cock-fights, fist-fights, all have a spirit-stirring, warm-blooded sense of contest in them. But that calm, critical winging and maiming of the birds is a cold-blooded sport, and therefore too fishy for Boston. We hope Chih Tajen and Sun Tajen will not carry the story home with them.

(c) NYTimes 1868. Original Article

SATURDAY SPECIAL!

2009-08-29T10:29:00.004-04:00

Alas, the making of a Past Press cartoon. This video shows the unedited and uncut creation of today's cartoon, "the Fruit Filcher". From beginning to end, this cartoon took forty-nine minutes to create but, of course, the video has been sped up to show you all the steps in a swift one minute and thirty seconds. I hope you enjoy this look behind the scenes at the Past Press!

Nah, I'll just go ahead and take this...I don't wanna break my twenty...

2009-08-29T08:41:00.005-04:00

"ONE OF THE FINEST" ON A SPREE.

William Starr, a New-York detective, got on a spree yesterday, and last evening was locked up in Station No. 2 by Officer Byron. This morning he was fined $3 or jail five days by Justice Griffith. His fine was paid by the parties employing him, who immediately discharged him and his partner, who left at once for New-York this morning. Starr is said to have eaten some fruit at a street stand in front of the Troy House last night and then refused to pay for it on the ground that he only had a twenty-dollar bill, which he did not want broken. The occurred before Officer Byron appeared upon the scene.

(c) NYTimes 1881. Original Article

SATURDAY SPECIAL!

2009-08-28T14:57:00.002-04:00

Along with the daily cartoon and article tomorrow will be a special treat! The art department and production department have banded together to create an in-depth video look at how the Past Press daily cartoons are created. Please check back tomorrow and see the video for "The Making of a Past Press Cartoon".

Thanks a lot, honey...

2009-08-28T04:52:00.005-04:00

MONTANA MAN SHOT FOR A BEAR.

RED LODGE, Mon., Aug. 27.--John Andrews, ex-Postmaster of this place, was killed instantly by John Romers, who mistook him for a bear, while the two were hunting.

(c) NYTimes 1901. Original Article

Officer deals Whisky Jim killer hand.

2009-08-27T07:58:00.005-04:00

CIRCUS MEN CAUSING TROUBLE.

James Hurley, alias "Whisky Jim," until lately a canvasman with O'Brien's Circus, is lying in the Pennsylvania hospital with a fractured skull, the result of resisting arrest on a charge of theft. Hurley was discharged from the circus on Tuesday, and with the money he received for back wages went on a spree. This morning he entered Pleisch's saloon, at Tiernan and Dickinson streets, and after passing some time there attempted to steal a shawl from the wife of the proprietor. The woman grabbed him and called for the police. Officer Lafferty responded, and tried to take Hurley into custody. The canvasman resisted arrest, butting the officer in the face and kicking him in the groin. The policeman then drew his blackjack and dealt the man a blow over the eye which knocked him senseless. Word was sent to the station house and an ambulance was telegraphed for to take the injured man to the hospital. Upon his arrival at that institution the doctors found that his skull had been fractured. The opinion was expressed, however, that the wound was not necessarily fatal.

(c) NYTimes 1885. Original Article

Snakes on their plain, farmers go to town...ON THEM!

2009-08-26T08:24:00.006-04:00

A SNAKE STORY

A couple of weeks ago we noticed the fact that Mr. John White, Jr., of this borough, came upon a den of rattlesnakes, on Warrior Ridge, and succeeded in killing four of them. This week we are able to chronicle a snake slaughter that exceeds anything of the kind we ever heard of. One day last week, while Messrs. James Watson and Conrad Buff were engaged in plowing a field belonging to the farm of the former in Woodcock Valley, about six miles from this place, they plowed up a nest of snakes, and, from the appearance of the ground, as the reptiles made for safe quarters, in all directions, they thought that they had trespassed upon a world of snakes, as the earth was completely covered for the distance of several hundred yards. They immediately stopped their horses and made an onslaught on them, and after about fifteen minutes hard labor, counted the killed, and found that they had the number of eighty-two--sixty-two vipers and twenty blacksnakes. We have never before heard of so many snakes being seen and killed in this neighborhood in any previous season. Almost every person that travels in the woods reports having seen one or more of these reptiles.

Since the above was in type, Mr. John Stonecraker of Franklin township, has informed us of a snake story that takes the "spots off" the above, and anything we have ever heard in the snake line. Mr. Hampton, of the above township, one day last week, was engaged in quarrying stone, in a quarry close to the turnpike road, and, observing two or three snakes lying on a rock, he started to kill them, but as he approached they secreted themselves under the rock. Not wishing them to escape, he got his hammer and broke off a portion of the rock, when he beheld a den of copperheads. He procured a club and went to work at them, and succeeded in killing one hundred and eight! He says that as many more got away.

(c) NYTimes 1859. Original Article

Sure as shootin', town barber gets clipped.

2009-08-25T07:45:00.001-04:00

NEW USE FOR DOOR-KNOBS.

Some people have agreeable ways of amusing themselves in the South-west. An Austin (Texas) paper tells of a barber living in Lampasas, who ornamented the front door of his shop with a white door-knob. It was the first introduced into that fashionable watering-place. The Horrell gang, after killing Capt. Williams and his men, and being rescued from the Georgetown jail, (parenthetically remarks the journal record referred to,) returned to Lampasas, where they go and come unmolested. Spying the white door-knob, they deliberately began to practice at it with their six-shooters--it was such a nice mark--and fairly riddled the knob and the door, and now the barber finds the climate more invigorating on the avenue of our city.

(c) NYTimes 1873. Original Article

Some just aren't cut out for a life of crime.

2009-08-24T08:41:00.005-04:00

THIEF THOUGHT HER A GHOST.

Mrs. D. L. Ogden of Hackensack Heights early this morning arose to go to another room for additional covering for the bed. As she passed through the hall, she came face to face with a burglar. Both were too greatly surprised to move or utter a sound for a full minute. The man must have taken Mrs. Ogden for a ghost, as he stood gazing at her with mouth and eyes both wide open.

Finally he turned and leaped through a window without waiting to remove the netting and dropped to the ground from the second story. The action caused Mrs. Ogden to scream. Her husband jumped up and on learning the trouble gave the signal to the neighborhood by firing his revolver, and the alarm was spread.

After a while the police came and it was found two other houses had been entered, but in not one of the three was anything missing.

(c) NYTimes 1900. Original Article

And you thought that part of the keg was called the tap!?

2009-08-23T20:47:00.006-04:00

ARRESTED AT THE BUNGHOLE

At noon yesterday Detective Dunn noticed a commotion in front of No. 56 Bleecker-street. On inquiry he found that Cotter Hogan, Henry Toyer, John White, Thomas McCormick, George Kane, and Lizzie Marsh had stolen a keg of beer from a beer truck that was still standing in front of the premises, the driver being absent. They had carried the keg up to a room on the third floor and had gone down for a second. They succeeded in getting the second keg out of the wagon and into the hallway. There, on account of the violent handling the keg got, the bung flew out and the beer spurted in all directions. Not wishing to see the beverage going to waste, the crowd began a most desperate struggle among themselves for possession of the bunghole in order to drink the beer as it escaped. The fight became very earnest, and by turns, each one in the crowd was knocked down. Dunn stopped the fight and arrested the parties above named, who were arraigned before Justice Murray, in the Jefferson Market Police Court, where they were committed for trial in default of $500 bail each.

(c) NYTimes 1878.

An ACTUAL man on the moon? I'll tell you in 30 years...

2009-08-22T08:31:00.001-04:00

Crooked cops "carefully" count carpet-bagged cash.

2009-08-21T08:16:00.001-04:00

H.J. Raymond runs up MONSTER bill...or does he???

2009-08-20T08:33:00.000-04:00

DOUBLE FEATURE: It was pretty much bad news all around on August 20, 1864, and the following article is certainly no exception. WARNING: Graphic reading.

Gaffney able to convince police he is NOT dead.

2009-08-19T08:47:00.000-04:00

It's a bird! It's a plane! No! It's a...bullsheep?

2009-08-18T08:42:00.000-04:00

Mrs. Moulton, back from Europe, found her lost jewels!

2009-08-17T23:05:00.000-04:00

Easy on the booze, Brooklyn...

2009-08-16T13:14:00.000-04:00

"Three bullets through his hat caused him to pause."

2009-08-15T11:13:00.000-04:00

Judge orders bankruptcy on Queens, then orders Manhattans

2009-08-14T17:21:00.000-04:00

Fifty vs. Nine? Not so grand.

2009-08-13T11:15:00.000-04:00