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.ON'T give your wife your name
whii you marry." is very good
advice, provided she has any
predilection for the stage.
.Many a man would be happier now
if he could put the rule into effect.
Just as .examples, James Brown Pot
ter - and-De "Wolf Hopper will serve
admirably, and to the list could be
added Mr. Langtry, at one time the
husband of the famous Lily, and Mr.
Leslie Carter, both of whom are now
dead. '
A time came when this quartet of
husbands were unable for various rea
sons'' to live In the marital accord which
is conceded to be highly essential to
happiness.
The merciful Intervention of the di
vorce court was there to give free
dom, but unfortunately freedom did not
mean the end of the chapter, for in
every case the woman in the case
insisted on retaining the husband's
name.
.' Potter and Hopper have remarried,
which gives them an additional reason
for wanting to get back their names
from tho women to whom they gave
them in all the fond ariection of young
romances.
But there are cases where the wom
an's whim was supreme, and the names
have remained.
v
,' A society woman of note. Mrs. Howard
' Gould, is now engaged in a struggle with
her husband that will probably end in
a separation. It is said that In that
event she will go on the stage, whfch
will mean another added to the list of
those who continue to wear the names
of former husbands, much to the grief
of the aforementioned swains.
' The most notable case of the kind is
Safe-Robbers Keep Ahead of Makers
Tostofric Thieves
DVRIXO the seven years from 1900 to
1906. Inclusive, the, safes In 11.5S7
postofflces throughout the United
Etats"wera blown or forced and contents
stolen.
Tliis was an average of more than four
safes a day in postofflces alone. If the
numerous burglaries in stores and busi
ness houses in general were added to
the list it would represent an alarming
toll, an epidemic, as it were.
The figures suggest comparison of the
relative skill of the expert safe-builder
and the expert cracksman. One wonders
in " pondering over the harvest cited
whrther the safe-blower or the safe
builder is the superior at the present
time.
The record of postofflce "breaks as
compiled by the Government authorities,
appears to be the best criterion. "Fig
ures don't lie," says the old adage.
Men versed in the history and habits
of criminals agree that up to date the
safa-blower has the better of the argu
ment; that he Is still master of the situ
ation, so far as the "tapping" of safes
goes. The cracksman will tell you so,
too. with a grin that denotes absolute
confidence in his art. and not a few
manufacturers of safes privately share
this opinion, although some point with
pride to certain high-grade, specially
equipped models of their art which they
term impregnable.
The fact remains, however, that loot
ings are beinr constantly registered and
that' frequently among the heavy losers
are banks whose treasures boasted of
the protection of the very latest and most
formidable types of safes that money
could buy.
Pepperell Bank Kobbery.
Ths most recent example of this was
the Pepperell bank robbery, when a
splendid specimen of the up-to-date
portable safe was blown and more than
IIS. In cash stolen. Reports that
vaults have, been broken into are in
variably erroneous. Larcenies have been
committed In vaults, but not by means
of explosives. Cracksmen don't waste
time in attempting to blow such security
Gibraltars. but they have on rare oc
casions gone Into them In the guise of
sneak thieves.
Burglars who crack safes are men
of brains and they proceed with cau
tion. Their methods are scientific The
major part of their work is really dis
posed of before they resort to drill and
explosives. For weeks and months they
study their ground, the approaches of
marked quarters, the habits of said es
tablishments an even send observing
agents in to talk with officials of banks
to get a close- lay of the surroundings
and the Interior construction of safes and
combinations, too. If possible. A swift
clsnce Is sufficient for the "spotter.
Summer is devoted to this study of the
various- "zones" which radiate for 100
miles around preat cities, where the cul
prits are alwavs swallowed up until they
iiave soent the "swag." the term they
apply to the cash or valuables which
toeir operations yield. Winter, with. Its
re & '7
It
undoubtedly that of Mrs. James Brown
Potter. Her former husband, is so anx
ious to wipe out the memory of the fact
that lie was once the husband of the
actress that he has offered her a hand
some sum o cease using his name. But
Mrs. Potter, that was, is obdurate, and
announces that no money balm less than
$200,000 will ever prompt her to accede to
his wishes.
Mrs. James Brown Potter was born
Cora Urquhart. She had beauty and bril
liant wit, and when she went to Wash
ington she made a prompt success in the
capital.
Her husband was a man of somewhat
retiring mood, and he found only mild
pleasure in the attention his beautiful
wife created.
Still less was he pleased when at a re
ception given by Mrs. William C. 'Whit
ney she recited George R. Sims' some
what torrid poem, "Ostler Joe," about
the stableman who takes back his erring
wife.
The poem made an Immense hit with
everybody but Mr. Potter, and it was one
of many causes that finally led to a seri
ous quarrel and estrangement between
the two that eventually ended in their
divorce.
The wife hesitated not an instant to
turn to money value her dramatic tal
ents. With Kyrle Bellew as leading man, she
put on a number of pretentious produc
tions, and ww well received by press and
pUhliC . . ..mi.
Then she went to England to live. The
wealth of married days had accustomed
her to the best of everything. She es
tablished herself handsomely at "St.
Johns Wood" first, and later at Bray
Lodge."
But, unfortunately, the income from her
stage life hardly warranted ner in main
taining a place of such splendor. She got
into financial trouDies, ano. iiu uu un.
a somewhat varied career.
Ixxt an Average of vFour Each Hay, respite rrecaunu...
storms and long nights is set apart for
the active work.
Many cases are on record where bur
glars have compelled bank attaches to
open safes or vaults at the point of
pistols, but the introduction of compli
cated time locks has disposed of this
phase of bank burglary and has added
another strong protection to the now In
vulnerable safety vault.
Safes Still Vulnerable.
It appears, however, that the combined
efforts of inventors, expert engineers and
skilled mechanics In fashioning steel Into
secret combinations of locks and bars
and wonderfully constructed strong boxes
of all sizes, weights and grades, have
been only partly successful In reducing
the number of burglaries, and have by
no means defeated the professional
cracksman nor broken his nerve. Statis
tics show that there was an Increase of
2U. postofflce burglaries In 1906 over the
previous year, and. while the other years
show Blight fluctuations, the tendency
has been to multiply.
It has been a sharp conflict of intel
lects for decades between the burglar and
the man who makes safes a mental war
fare which has brought the safe and the
vault to a high plane of perfection, but
the manufacturer has not yet fully solved
the problem that Inspired his. trade, so
far as the merchantable safe goes.
The safemaker has, however, thorough
ly conquered the burglar in his construc
tion of vaults. He has been able to ac
complish this by reason of the far wider
latitude enjoyed in the shape of almost
unlimited expenditure and the adding of
masonry which defy both burglars and
fire.
Vaults vary in price according to their
size and the quantity and quality of their
reinforcements. Their cost frequently
amounts to $200,000. A contract for one
which will cost $260,000 was recently
awarded by a Boston bank.
The 11.687 postofflce safes broken Into
during the period of seven years men
tioned represented many thousands of
dollars In cash and stamps and every
make of safe. Teggroen have for years
made a specialty of looting postofflces,
and still devote the major part of their
operations to this line of plunder, so
that it has become an evil the full Im
port of which Is recognized by the Gov
ernment. The figures quoted above were fur
nished by W. J. Vickery, chief inspector
of the Postofflce Department In Washing
ton, In a letter to a Boston safe expert,
which read In part as follows:
"Receipt is acknowledged of your com
munication dated June 12, 1907. request
ing to be advised of the number of post
offlces entered by burglars In the United
States during the years 1900 to 190, In
clusive. The following Is a statement
of the postofflce burglaries In the United
States during this period: In 1900, 15S7;
1901, 1635; 19uC, 17; 1903. 13; 1904, 1593;
1916. KS1: 1906. 1802."
Postmasters in charge of postofflces
up to a certain class are expected to
furnish safes t their own. expense and
- FASOO ACTRE WHO
. r?if )nr FV?fO FOR PAV.
Hvteh?
WTien her daughter "Fifi" married
James Btillman. Mrs. Potter could have
had a comfortable competence settled on
her by retiring from the stage, but she
steadfastly declined.
Now a still more important reason ex
ists why the name of James Brown Pot
ter should disappear from the footlights.
Its owner has had a eecond romance. His
second wife was formerly Miss May
Handy, of Richmond, Va.
This lady very properly wants no di
,,ao.a nn th title, of her husband.
and since the first holder of it has been
j.nlHvajl hv tVia divnrne courts of any
claim on Mr. Potter, the second wife sees
naturally they try to get them on the
most liberal terms possible. When post
offlces are robbed the postmaster or his
bondsmen have to make good the amount
taken. The Government, therefore, does
not lose anything, but the Postofflce De
partment is anxious to put a stop to such
wholesale depredations.
The economy practised by postmasters
in purchasing safes is stock In trade for
the burglar. As a result the roving
criminals who understand the use of
dynamite and nitroglycerine encounter
few real problems in the safe line In
rural districts and small communities.
The absence or scarcity of burglar proof
safes in certain localities is further en
hanced by inadequate police protection.
Consequently the expert cracksman
breaks Into some of the metal frames
without fear of detection while at work
or of capture in flight and with almost
as much ease as he would force open a
door or window with a "jimmy."
Safe blowing has become such a science
that operators are willing to take chances
if they are assured of a haul of $7, feel
ing that a night has not -been wasted if
it yields even so small a figure. The
establishment of so low a minimum is an
index to the multiplicity of their crimes
and of their daring and confidence.
In their ranks are expert engineers
and mechanics, and men of natural
genius which would Insure them of good
Incomes If they applied their talents law
fully. They are as familiar with .the
mechanism of all brands of safes as
are the makers. They know by the size
or pattern or by skilful sounding whether
a safe has a single or double door, or
whether It Is burglar-proof, which means
that an extra case of selected steel is
installed Inside to guard against explo
sions, and they can at a glance detect the
slightest defect.
Many have the Impression that the
walls of a safe are solid metal all the
way through. This is not so. There is
an outer and Inner shell of panelled
steel which never exceeds one-eighth of
an Inch in thickness and is almost In
variably less than that. The gap between
these two shells Is filled with concrete or
other patented compositions.
Burglars frequently knock away the
combination knobs to get a start for
boring through the door, but the most
common method is to drill a hole through
the top of a safe far back enough to
get behind both doors. If there happens
to be an inner one, so that the explosives
will fall Into the body of the safe among
the contents. Dynamite or gunpowder is
dropped in and touched oft with a fuse.
When nitroglycerine Is used the cracks
around the outer door are carefully
sealed with soap to prevent the liquid
from leaking out, and a fulminating
cap la attacked and fired with a 26-cent
battery.
In Lynn recently burglars used a cheese
to blow a safe In a grocery store. That
night the gang found a lemon in one
safe which they had hard work opening,
but in an adjoining store got $1800 in cash.
This Illustrates the uncertainty of their
i work oa "small Jobs." In postofflce work.
i
TO THE
LAW-
no reason why she still should be per
mitted to wear the name.
This is the present situation. Mrs.
Potter, the actress, declines to give up
without the $200,000 reward, and as she
is shortly coming to this country for a
long run, the Potters are the more anxi
ous to persuade her to take up once more
her maiden name.
aafom nrA fnvflriahlv blown. Bank
Jobs sometimes take more time, so that
the burglars wait ior noiiaays or ouu
days to add to a night between. While
drilling and blowing are the most popular
and swiftest methods of late, burglars
have been known to take me more
A,.n. mtl,n nf "Htrtnnlncr " which
UIUUUUS ,i.w..w v. . ' '
means that they remove plate after plats
until the interior oi a saie is reatueu.
History of Safemaklng.
The first safes were made in England
more than 100 years ago. They were
fashioned of wood, planks being used
fnr the case, with metal trimmings.
Later the wooden frame was covered
with sheet iron, and they had tremen
rtmia knobs, which were of little use
other than to make them more formi
dable In appearance.
Then came the substitution of sheet
iron for wood and the double casings
with fillings between to give greater
thickness. A Chelsea manufacturer
named Wilder years ago conceived the
Idea of filling the space, between the
inner and outer shells of the walls with
plaster of paris. but this form of rein
forcement contained an acid which de
voured the metal. Fnally cement was
used, and is used today, with other
patent fillings. ,
Each manufacturer has his Individual
secrets and patents in material, locks,
bars and fillings. The evolution of the
safe has. been marked. Today they
range in size and price from the tiny
home safe, worth $18, to the burglar and
fireproof creations weighing six or
seven tons and costing anywhere from
$250 to $500, according to the type and
equipment. Special makes come higher.
A Boston firm recently got $20,000 for
building a mammoth door for a vault.
This door was 17 inches thick and em
bodied a baffling network of bars and
locks. The construction of vaults Is a
kindred branch of the work, only the
fittings are more extensive and elab
orate and firmly Intrenched against the
ravages of burglars and fire by impene
trable walls of masonry.
There are two styles of safe, the ones
filled with solid cement, which is put
Into the casings wet, and those filled
with loose plaster and dry cement shov
elled In. The aim Is to have the filling
retain a certain degree of moisture so
that. In the event of fire the heated ex
terior will create a steam which will
cool off the inner casing of metal and
thus protect the contents.
Lumps of alum or other salts or
crystals have been added to fillings In
order to provide the necessary mois
ture. Thin metallic tubes, filled with
water, have also been Imbedded in
fillings, so as to create steam, and
yet In searching for the required mois
ture great care must be exercised to
avoid a filling which will be too flabby
to furnish the rigidity required to pre
vent the safe from breaking if it falls.
Fillings are also made of patented
so-called Indestructible non-conducting
compounds. Excessive dampness
would corrode the metal and Injure the
safe. It can be observed, therefore, that
the filling of safes has been an absorbing
feature In tho trend of steady improve
ment which has characterized the making
of safes and vaults In the United States.
Boston Herald..
W Ifffl
V,,, VWBM'
raw
M M WW . YW
that Mr. Langtry would have felt a much
greater ease of mind if the Lily would
kindly make herself known by some
other name, but she was ever unwilling
to do so, and even today, despite her
marriage to Hugo de Bath, she continues
to be known as in the old days.
The Leslie Carters were prominent so
cially before she went on the boards.
Their divorce suit was a celebrated
scandal, which even today is rated In law
books as one of the great classics for
cases of this kind.
She went upon the stage. Her first play
was called the "Ugly Duckling." and she
appeared in connection with that gifted,
but unfortunate actor, H. J. Henley. '
The first venture was tne raimes.1.
v. .. nftresA had nerve
xiclBUuea, uui. w,3 " - .
a-plenty, and with uavio.
To Succeed,
THE rarest thing in the world, as
everybody knows who knows any
thing about the literary markets,
is a new Joke. The next rarest is an
old Joke so revamped that It looks new.
The liveliest hunt among publishers of
books and magazines today is for real
humor.
"See that drawer," observed the editor
of a big New York weekly to an as
pirant for literary honors who felt sure
he could write the right stuff if he only
knew Just what the editor wanted. "Near
ly empty. Isn't It? That's my numor
drawer. Any one who can help to
fill it is persona grata in this office."
The editor, like every other, had dis
covered how rare genuinely funny writ
ing Is. To discover the humorous books
with which the Christmas bookstalls are
stocked and the humorous articles which
now and then occur in the magazines, is
the publisher's most serious occupation.
Anything that contains a laugh a line is
received gleefully in the editorial offices
of half a hundred American publishing
houses. ,
Both schools of American humor are in
favor. Anybody who can be either broad
ly or delicately witty finds a hearing
these days as well as many who think
they are able to be either and actually
are neither. .,..
The distinction between the subtle and
the obvious groups of humorists was
amusingly traced In a recent Harvard
Phi Beta Kappa after-dinner speech
which Introduced to the learned society
Rev. Samuel M. Crothers, a publishers
"find." a Unitarian clergyman known
mostly not so long ago as President
Eliot's pastor, but now duly qualified as
a literary successor of Oliver Wendell
Holmes, who Is expected to produce
something bright whenever he touches
typewriter to paper.
Jokers With Buffoon Gifts.
The point was made in this address
that most American humorists have be
longed very clearly to one or the other
of these schools; and consultation of
such a manual as "The Early American
Humorists," a handy reference book that
gives selections from the writings of
many, who, famous In their own day, are
now In too great danger of being forgot
ten, discloses pretty clearly on the one
side the Jokers who had buffoon gifts like
"Artemus Ward." "Orpheus S. Kerr.
"Bill Arp," "Josh Billings," "Petroleum
V Nasby" and the "Danbury News Man,"
and on the other side the literary wits
like Washington Irving, George William
Curtis and N. P. Willis, whose quiet
humor more closely resembled that of
the great English writers of the 18th
century. The discoveries of humorists
by publishers In the last few years have
not been so numerous, and many of them
have been disappointments because the
writer who has started in by being up
roariously funny often conceives an idea
of reforming the world through his hu
mor and thereafter becomes deadly dull.
This tendency of the Jester to aim to be
ily backing her she' Wt up the fight,
and made her next try In a light comedy,
with musical numbers "Miss Helyett."
This had an equally dismal experience,
but still the nerve of Mrs. Carter and
little by little Mrs. Carter came to the
front, finally to take her place as one ot
the American emotional actresses.
She steadfastly held this rating until
her sensational marriage with an actor
named Payne. This put an end to her
alliance with Belaseo, and also took her
from her lofty dramatic pinnacle.
Mr. Carter always resented his former
wife's continued use of his name, but he
gained nothing by complaining.
Write Something Funny
Publishers Will Tumble Over Thcmseives to ieaiure
a preacher has been very apparent In the
history of American humor.
Just as Dr. Crothers is perhaps the
most valuable recent discovery among
men who write, a woman whose humor
ous powers were quite unsuspected up
to a short time ago, outside of a circle
of personal acquaintance, has come to
the fore. The literary world Is still
laughing over the failure of Mark Twain,
himself the world's leading humorist, to
recognize a professional hand in the first
of the "Letters of Jennie Allen." which
Miss Grace Donworth, a Providence
woman, wrote as a practical Joke.
One Accidental Humorist.
The story is that while some good
ladies of a San Francisco relief com
mittee of the Rhode Island capital
were engaged in assorting- and packing
clothing sent to them for the benefit
of victims of the earthquake and fire,
one of their number received a letter
signed "Jennie Allen" which requested
that a certain garment should be re
turned to her, since it had been for
warded by mistake. The spelling and
phrasing of the communication were
fearful and wonderful, and half from
curiosity It was answered. It was also
shown to a number of people and a
copy of it came into Mark Twain's
hands, which he twice used as subject
matter for more or less serious speech
ifying, as at an annual dinner of the
Associated Press, and which later the
Simplified Spelling Society gravely is
sued as part of one of Its leaflets. The
letter turned out, of course, to be the
production of Miss Donworth, who was
a member of the committee. After the
lady had admitted her guilt she
amused herself and her companions by
adding more letters, gradually describ
ing the entire "Allen" family and its
acquaintances. Some of these were
published in the Ladles' Home Jour
nal. Now that In their completeness
they have been Issued in book form
the whole country is quoting Miss Don
worth's witticisms, Buch as "Mr. Spin
ney says you can't rise with the lark
If you've been on one the night be
fore," or - "He is a Maine man, but a
perfeck gentleman. So Is his mother,"
or again, "We are going to live close
to my folks, so I can help them when
they need me, and his mother is going
to live with us. My cup runneth over."
Ijlke Father Tabb.
In spite of occasional broad touches
the general quality of Miss Donworth's
work puts her in the same class with
the more subtle school of humorists,
like Mr. Crothers, Robert Grant, Wit
ter Bynner, whose reoent "Ode to Har
vard" contains some of the brightest
touches of fancy of any recent poem;
Ralph Bergengren, in whom Collier's
Weekly Just now announces a com
bination of Lewis Carroll and Frank
Stockton, and Agnes Repplier, whose
fund of brilliant wit accumulates
steadily year by year. "Jennie Allen's"
humor in some respects resembles that
of Father John B. Tabb, the prevailing
quality In whose delightfully funny
verses, as his "Quips and Qulddlts,"
Company, but who graduated into comlo
opera and became the wife of the giant
comedian. De Wolf Horner, haa never
abandoned his name. She is now known
as Edna Wallace Hopper.
She was not the comedians first wife,
nor his last, for that matter.
When he met lier he was married to'
another. ... ., I
Now his wife, his third essay, is Nellj
Berpen. who. about 10 years ago firs t
astonished the light opera world with the.
plentltudo of her tones in bousas Ji.1
The present Mrs. Hopper thinks "he
oucht to have a sole rlpht to all the Hop
per name, and It is a -matter of some an
ger to her that the second Mrs. Hopper'
won't let go. -
The charming little comedienne speak
without any anger In tho mattur. She
does not retain the name from any mo
tives of spite, but merely because sho
claims that there is no reason why shaj
should sacrifice the prestige she bull
while she was Mrs. Hopper merely t
oblige the present wife of the actor.
Mi's Wallare was little known whenv
she became the wife of the comedian.,
and there is no doubt that by her clevetf
work she much enhanced her fame dur
ing this period. Now she declines to give
this away.
Other actors who married were mora
fortunate than the list of those whoso
names are cited here.
Nat Goodwin wedded the beautiful
Maxine Elliott, but she clung to her owt
name, and the present Mrs. Nat Goodwin,
who was Edna Goodrich, has no rival tcf
dispute her claim on the title of Mrs
Nathaniel C. Goodwin.
E H Sothern had for wife the charm
Ing Virginia Harned. but she retained
her own name, and there is no concern
for Mr. Sothern on that score.
James K. Hackett. matinee idol, too
for wife the beautiful Mary Mannerlng,
but the fact made no difference in her
name, and when tne time camo ji
iur uuj ,
Ethel Levey's husband was one of tn
most talented young a:tors. singers and
dancers on the American stage, but thai
fact made no difference whatever to her,
and she stuck to her own name.
Which fact is now a .matter of some
comfort to George Cohan, since they ars
no longer man and wife.
Julia Opp has not adopted the name of
William Faversham. but should she want
to do so there will be no bar. for the
first Mrs. Faversham does not claim the
title. ,
xuui
and "Child Verse" is one of subtlety,
although he now and then breaks fortli
into something broad and dangerously
near being unclerical. as In his often!
quoted quip:
"A pious prelate used to ride
A donkey which, alas.
His patience being often tried.
He called Eu-damld-as,
A name he emphasized or not
As grew his temper cool or hot.
It comparatively seldom happen
that a humorist who if "found" as be
longing to one of these two distinct
schools passes over to the other afteo
he has been discovered, although
among writers of comic verse and
prose William F. Kirk was simple and
delicate in his lyrics of "The Norsk;
Nightingale." while ,no one can ac
cuse him of extreme delicacy as ha
records the discussions between thai
Manicure Lady and the Barber or re
produces the compositions of Little
Bobbie. , . ,
No conspicuous find of the broa
school of humor has been proclaimed by
any publishing house in the present
year Probably the -most noted humor
ist, indeed, of this stamp who has
come into prominence in recent years
Is Ellis Parker Butler, whose "Pigs
Is Pigs" started a chuckle that ex
tended from Atlantic to Pacific. An
other of Mr. Butler's works represent-
ing his style at its best is his "Per
kins of Portland." the story of ths
advertising man who performed com
mercial miracles with his catch
phrases, such as "Murdock's soap is
pure soap: if you don't believe It, bite
It," and his
Perkins' paper porous plaster
Makes all pains and aches fly faster,
Dooley and Others.
Among the broad school humorist
would probably be placed "Mr. Dooley''
(Peter Flnley Dunne), who has suc
cessfully worked the same vein fo
now more than 10 years. His two
earliest books, "Mr. Dooley in Peace
and in War," and "Mr. Dooley In tha
Hearts of His Countrymen," were
among the greatest discoveries ever
made bv an American publishing
house. They now count among tha
classics of American humor, for which
there is the same kind of continuous
demand as for Mark Twain's works or
for Stockton's "Rudder Grange." An
other, of course, is the versatile George
Ade. In somewhat the same class,
though of more variable talent, Is the
prolific Holman F. Day,
After Mr. Dooley perhaps the most
remarkable and unheralded humorist
of the past 10 years was George Hor
ace Lorlmer, whose "Letters from a
Self -Made Merchant to His Son" caught
the popular fancy to an extraordinary
degree, resulting in the sale of nearly
half a million copies of a book which.
Is still among the good sellers. Mr.
Lorlmer up to the time of the appear
ance of his book had been known first
as an excellent newspaper reporter,
then as an accomplished editor, but it
was not realized that he had gifts en
titling him to a plaoe among the fore
most of American kumerlsts.