August 1890 Edition
ISSUE 3 August
Congress Passes Sherman Anti-Trust Act
The Senate today approved the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, a measure aimed at making interstate business more competitive.
The act declares any contract, combination, or conspiracy that would restrain interstate or foreign trade to be illegal. The new law also forbids any monopolization of trade or commerce by any one organization.
The debate was furious and the final vote close, with the compromise bill entirely satisfactory to no one, including Sen. John Sherman (R-Ohio), its principal sponsor.
It is unlikely the bill would have passed had not George F. Edmunds (R-Vermont), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, expressed his certainty that labor unions were combinations in restraint of trade, thereby making passage of the act attractive to those senators sympathetic to the claims of big business.
August 1, 1890. Pittsburgh
Duncan Wilson was tending a spooling machine at Taggart Industries Friday when he inexplicably burst into flames! Mr. Wilson’s co-workers extinguished him and thanks to their quick response, Mr. Wilson survived with only minor burns. Inspectors see no way that Mr. Wilson’s machine could have caused the fire, nor does he work with alcohol or any flammable material. Another one of life’s mysteries that will probably never be solved.
Mr. Blake Murphy of San Francisco. An agent of Wells Fargo, Mr. Murphy was waylaid by thugs while investigating a series of grave robberies in New Orleans. The body was taken to Nevada for a private funeral service. Mr. Murphy left no survivors. His last will and testament directed that all his funds be left to the Charitable Christian Ladies Organization in Nevada.
Silver mine owners, alarmed by the falling price of silver in recent months, have found a friend in Congress.
The newly approved Sherman Silver Purchase Act requires the Secretary of the Treasure to buy 4,500,000 oz. (or 130,000 kg.) of silver at the market price each month. This act supersedes last year’s Bland-Allison Act, and raises the required purchase amount of silver by 50 percent.
Western agriculture organizations, including the Grange and the Farmer’s Alliance, joined the fledgling Populist Party in support of the measure and in calling for free coinage of silver as a way of increasing available currency. Western farmers have been suffering from depressed prices of the products in recent months.
Lord Cardwell invited many of the cream of society as well as the elite of The Archeological Society to view the latest addition to his extensive Egyptian collection. Purported to be the mummy of an ancient Egyptian princess the intact mummy is the new centerpiece of his collection.
Swinton, Hugh, late of Charleston, South Carolina, died on June 22, 1890. Mr. Swinton, in the prime of manhood was found dead of uncertain affliction in the View Carre, just off Rue Conti. Associates of Mr. Swinton said he was a man of staunch character and good humour. He passes without wife or issue. He will be sorely missed."
July 23, 1890 Pittsburgh
An unidentified corpse was found in the woods yesterday by two hunters. Apparently the victim of an animal attack, the body of a young woman was terribly mutilated. Parts of the woman were missing including an arm and most of one leg. Identification will be difficult and police are asking anyone who knows of any missing persons to come forth to help in identifying the woman.
Aug. 6, 1890.
The first execution by electricity has been a horror. Physicians who might make a jest out of the dissecting room, officials who have seen many a man’s neck wrenched by the rope, surgeons who have lived in hospitals and knelt beside the dead and dying on bloody fields, held their breaths with a gasp, and those unaccustomed to such sights turned away in dread. The doctors say the victim did not suffer. Only his Maker knows if that be true. To the eye, it looked as though he were in a convulsive agony.
The current had been passing through his body for fifteen seconds when the electrode at the head was removed. Suddenly the breast heaved. There was a straining at the straps which bound him, a purplish foam covered the lips and was spattered over the leather head-band.
The man was alive. Warden, physicians, everybody, lost their wits. There was a startled cry for the current to be turned on again. Signals, only half understood, were given to those in the next room at the switchboard.
When they knew what had happened, they were prompt to act, and the switch-handle could be heard as it was pulled back and forth, breaking the deadly current into jets.
The rigor of death came on the instant. An odor of burning flesh and singed hair filled the room. For a moment a blue flame played about the base of the victim’s spine. This time the electricity flowed four minutes. Kemmler was dead. Part of his brain had been baked hard. Some of the blood in his head had been turned into charcoal. The flesh at the small of his back was black with fire.
