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Hastings Standard, Volume XIII, Issue 4204, 10 July 1909, Page 1 (Supplement)

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Thomas Dowar tells an story of an incident that befell during an election campaign in George's-in-the-East. A great meeting had been organised in the town hall, at which Mr T. C. Ritchie, then a Cabinet Minister, delivered an address; but ai't!>r it was over, it was found that Mr. Ritchie's overcoat had stolen. An urgency meeting of the committee was at once held, and, in order to save Mr. Ritchie any annoyance, the sum of ten shillings was tent round to a certain quarter of the constituency well known aa a thieves' haunt. Very shortly three overcoats were brought round to the town hall. Mr. Ritchie picked out his coat from among tiieni, tho other tw-> were honourably returned, and everybody felt relieved that the incident had terminated so satisfactorily. A few days afterwards, when Sir Thomas was on his rounds canvassing, a man tapped inm on the shoulder, and asked if he could have a word or two with him. 'Certainly!'' answered the candidate. "How much did you send for tho coat?" he was asked. "Ten shillings," was the reply. "Well, guv'nor, do you call that business? I only got a shilling out of it, and I was the bloke who pinched it!"

STOCK EXCHANGE JOKE. For a quarter of an hour the other day a fearful panic reigned in the New York Stock Exchange; brokers howled and dashed madly about the floor, waving memoranda and shrieking all kinds of orders. Wa-Ting-Fang, the Chinese Minister, was in the Strangers' Gallery, and watched the panic and the firing of questions at the rate of sixty Then the pandemonium ceased, and it was explained that the brokers, knowing that the Chinese Minister intended to~Visit tho exchange, arranged to give him some idea of what a real panic was like. They, therefore, temporarily suspended business while pretending to "knock the l>ottom" out of the market. Tho sole reply of Wa-Ting-Fang was : J envy you Americans; we Orientals are such an unemotional lot. '