davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1873-07-02
A SWindle-Look Dat for Bogus Checks

The Detroit Tribune tells of swindle
recently perpetrated upon various people
and numerous banks in the interior of
Michigan. 1t says:
Several weeks since gentlemanly ap-
pearing man called at a stationery house
in this city and ordered book printed
containing 1000 checks He represented
that he and others had organized the
Eaten County Savings Bank, at Eaton
Rapids, and gave the name of some we'll
known business men of that place, to
whom he referred.
"Supposing the man to be all right,
preparations were at once made to fill his
order, but as the checks had to be sent
to New York in sheet form to be stamped,
some delay occurred in completing the
job. In the meantime the man called
several times, and finally, having to all
appearance become impatient, ordered
the check book to be sent by express to
the Eaton County Savings Bank, and
when twas bound ready for delivery it.
was sent as directed
-Four days after being shipped, a por-
ton of the book was found in a stone
yard near the Board of Trade building,
on Woodbridge street. The cover had
| been torn off and it was otherwise mutt
IdtCQ dI1u OOO CUCCkS lldu UCCu CUb
out As. it bore the imprint of
! the stationery house alluded to, the book
was conveyed to their store, and they at
once wrote to one of the business men at
Eaton Rapids whose name was used by
! the chief swindler and received reply
| that no bank Of the name referred to
existed there. The matter was then placed
| in the hands of the police for investiga-
| ton, tut as considerable time had elapsed
since the swindle was inaugurated, they
were unable to discover the perpetrators.
''The checks appear as if genuine, be-
ing printed in the usual style. and con-
| tanning the United States revenue stamp
in the center So far as is now positively
known, one check for $3.50 has been cashed
by Hillsdale bank and another for $240
in Cleveland, this State. 1t is expected
that from this time forward these bogus
checks will be turning up in various parts
of the country, and all persons should
lgive them wide berth. The checks pur-
port to be Of the Eaton County Savings
Bank of Eaton Rapids, Mich, and are
drawn on the Fourth National Bank of
New York 1t is perhaps unnecessary to
add by way of conclusion that there is no
such institution as the Eaton County
Savings Bank in existence"
l
Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1873-07-02
Getting into Hot Water.

THERE is doctor in this city, says the
San Francisco Chronicle, who has speak
ing tube leading from the main entrance
of the building to his office, which is up
just few flights. For several days past a
smart young man, named Swartz,s has
amused himself by calling for the doctor
through the pipe, and then profanely or
dering him to set out on an excursion for
Tartarus. For some time this fun was
taken in good part, until the fine humor
of the joke no longer became apparent.
Accordingly one afternoon, the disciple OF
Esculapius provided himself with a tea
kettle of water, heated to about 21O de-
grees Fahrenheit, and waited alongside
the pipe. Pretty soon the old familiar
sound came up through the pipe: su IS
"Say, Doc, how's Tricks!" s..ae#-
tricks is better now; guess he'll get
well, - responded the doctor, reaching out
after the tea-kettle. ~ ~
whats been the matter with him?"
"He's got burnt
aHow?" afH
"You get!' So
The Doctor had finished his last sen.
tence, and then let quart of scalding
water down the pipe. Swartz had his
mouth over it, and when the water struck it
he was somewhat surprised Water was
apt to surprise him, but hot water was an
unexpected novelty. The man above
poured in the water for about a minute,
and then looked ont of the window. The
smart young man was getting along the
sidewalk at pretty lively gait, having
evidently just got up from a sitting posture.
He was trying to yell police" but couldn't
articulate with much success. About
an hour afterwards he found himself able
to speak, and inquired:
"Did that boiler explosion hurt any
body?"
Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1873-07-02

ONE of the most recent discoveries is
that of iron suspension bridg in the west
of China The river Taho is spanned by
an elegant iron chain suspension bridge,
built upon massive stone buttresses.
Planks are laid over the chains, covered
with earth and straw. Many remains of
similar bridges are found in Western
China, we are told by DR.. Anderson.
These bridges have been used for CEN
turtles, but the art of building them seems
to have passed away. The idea has re-
newed itself among the Western barbar-
ians.
Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1873-07-02

-Matchless misery Having cigar and
nothing to light it with.
Richland beacon., 1873-08-16
A Summer Slide Down Hill.

Any one desirous of sliding down hill
in the summer time may crafty that
desire at the falls by scoOt down the
apron. How nicely it can be done was
illustrated by a couple of tourists,
without any guide" and also by their
driver, on Tuesday afternoon. These
gentlemen were much interested in all
they saw about the falls, and especially
in the torrent of water shooting over
st. AnthOny's best apron. To obtain a
better view they ventured out upon the
dam extending from the platform.
About an inch of water runs over the
dam, shoots down the apron with
great velocity for the distance of one
hundred and fifty feet, until it strikes
the timber-bed running out level for
twenty or thirty feet, and then dashes
into regular whirlpool that froths and
foams among the rocks. Unfortunately
for the tourists the cOffer-dam was
thickly coated with a green, Shiny snb-
stance, making one of the most slippery
foundations imaginable; and In less
time than it takes to tell it, their feet
were gone" and couple of dark streaks
were visible as they went down the
Shiny apron like a special telegram.
Spectators feared they would be dashed
upon the rocks and instantly killed,
but, luckily, they managed to stop
themselves on the timber-bed before
spoken of, and were sorry-lOOking sub
jects, however, covered as they were by
the deposit wiped up from the dam and
apron, and were wearing of the green"
in the fullest sense of the word. Their
driver subsequently attempted to recov-
er an estray hat from the dam, and lack
ing apron-strings he, too, indulged in
an unexpected trip down the inclined
plane, was fished up, spenged, and the
parties started for st. Paul, feeling that
it was not good for them to be here.--
st. Paul Pioneer.
Richland beacon., 1873-08-16
Tombs of the English Kings.

Rev. Arthur p. Stanley, dean of
Westminster, has been exploring the
last resting places of the kings of Eng
Land who were buried in the abbey. On
June 26th he read before the British
society of antiquaries a paper on the
tombs of Richard III. and Henry III.
The bright beginning of Richards reign
and its miserable close have been the
subjects for moralizing by writer's of
both poetry and prose. Shakespeare S
apposite words, "COme let us sit upon
the ground and talk abont the death of
kings" and Gray's well-known lines,
Fair laughs the morn and soft the
zephyrs blow" have their origin in the
same source. When and how Richard
died has long been a mooted point
among historians, it being generally
held that after his formal deposition in
1899, he was murdered while a prisoner
at Pomfret by Sir Piers Exton. Many
curious questions have been set at rest
by Dean Stanley's Investigations. The
tOmbs, it may be mentioned, are above
ground and have open work stiles, with
a full length effigy on the top stone.
In the tomb of Richard H., two sets
of bones, female and male, were found.
As to the set of female bones, there is
no dispute that they compose the skele-
ton of Anne of Bohemia, the queen of
Richard. The only doubt was whether
the male skeleton was that of Richard
II. The skull was found to give cubic
capacity less than the standard of Eng
lish skulls, and this, taken together
with the measurements, agrees with the
well-known character of the king.
There were no marks of battle-axe on
the skull, thus refuting the above men,
toned legend other antiquarian re-
searches show that in 400 Richard III.
escaped from Rmfret to an abbey in
Northumberland, whence he removed to
Scotland, and that many plots for his
restoration were set on foot during the
succeeding reign of Henry w., of the
house of Lancaster. As to the tomb of
Henry I'LL, no searching investigation
was made, as no grave historic doubts
exist as to his fate. The efiigy, among
the first of such castings, was found to
be almost perfect, and the coffin, COW
cred with a continuous piece of cloth of
gold, is it turn covered with dust. The
cloth has lost its strength, so that
small puff would blow away both dust
and silk.
Richland beacon., 1873-08-16

L have seen. If these roads were sim
ply uninterrupted lines of communica-
ton between different points, they
would still he beautiful enough but
they are lined on both sides by farms SO
small that one is rarely ont of sight of
the neatly thatched farm buildings and
the curious, half-tropical vegetation to
be found in every door-yard. In the
matched houses, even the most modern
ones, there is look of the century-old
responsibility and comfort which is es-
pecially in keeping with the whole char
acter of the scenery; and, however
beautiful and attractive the Jersey COW
may be as we see her in the lawns of
our rich neighbors, she can have no set
ting to equal the gnarled old orchard
behind the stack and straw-covered
sheds which we see through the gaps in
these ivy-clad roadside fences. - Hearth
and Home.
Richland beacon., 1873-08-16
The Altitude at which Men Can Live

There has been great deal of dis
cussion as to the altitude mt which hu-
man beings can exist, and Mr.. Glai.
sher himself can tell us rs much about
it as anybody. In July, 1872, he and
Mr.. Coxwell asccnded in balloon to
the enormous elevation of 81, 900 feet.
Previous 10 the start, Mr.. Glaisher's
pulse stood at seventy-six beats min
ute COxwells at seventy-four. At L.
600 feet, the pulse of the former was at
eighty-fOur that of the latter ut one
hundred At $4,000 feet Glaisher's
hands and lips We're quite blue, but
not his face At 81 900 feet, he heard
his heart beating, and his breathing be
came oppressed at $4,000 he became
senseless; notwithstanding which the
prOnaut, in the interest of science, went
up another 5000 feet, till he could no
longer use his hands, and had to pull
the strings of the valve with his teeth
Aeronauts who have to make no exer-
tions have. of course, a great advantage
over members of the Alpine club, and
those who trust their legs; even mt b.
600 feet these climbers feel very uncOm-
Portable, more so in the Alps, 1T seems,
than elsewhere. At the monastery of
st. Bernard, S,l17 feet high, the monks
become asthmatic, and are compelled
frequently to descend .,to the valley of
the Rhone for-anything but breath
of fresh air :" and at the end of ten years
service are obliged to give mp their
high living an come down to the usu-
al level. At the same time, in South
America, there are towns, such as Poto-
81 placed rs high rs the top of Mont
Blanc, the inhabitants of which feel no
inconvenience The highest inhabited
spot in the world is, however, the Budd-
hist clOister of Hanle, i'll Tibet, where
twenty-one persons live at an altitude
of 16, 500 feet. The brothers Seglagin-
tweit, when they explored the glaciers
of the Ibi- -Gamin in the same country,
encamped at II 900 feet, the highest al
titude at which European ever passed
the night. Even at the top of Mont
Blanc, Professor Tyndall's gnides found
it very unpleasant to do this, though
the professor himself did not confess to
feeling as bad as they. The highest
mountain in the world is Mount Eve
rest (Himalaya), 29,O03 feet, and the
condor has been seen winging the blue
air " 500 feet higher. The air, by the
by, is not "blue," or else, as De Saus-
sure pointed out, "the distant noun
tains. which are covered with snow,
would appear blue also; :" its apparent
color being due to the reflection of
light. What light can do, and does, is
marvellous and not the least is its pow
or of attraction to humanity.-Cham-
her'e ZOurn0I
Richland beacon., 1873-08-16
Charms of the Isle of Jersey.

OF all the gems of the ocean, of all
the picturesque spots that the earth has
to offer, at least in its we'll settled quar-
ters, it seems to me that none can COM
pare with this beautiful island and its
dozen old stone churches, dating from
the twelfth and thirteenth centuries,
clad with such ivy as is nowhere else to
be found, and nestled among such trees
and thatched cottages as even the best
pictures of England can hardly match.
With its constantly varying glimpses of
the sea, with it's thousands of charming
villa residences, stretching over nearly
the whole territory, the seekers for ru-
raj beauty and an arcadian simplicity of
scenery must here find their best exam
pies. A Jersey road is marvel to be-
hold They are, of course, by no means all
alike, but there are miles and miles such
as describe, narrow, often too narrow
for vehicles to pass each other except
at the turn-outs floored like Bellevue
avenue in Newport, with the rounded
macadam, guttered with neatly-laid
cobble-stOnes, and fenced with earthen
walls 30 high that they seem cut into
the earth except where frequent glinp-
ses through gates show the fields ,
yund !; a solid mat of ivy commencin kt
|fhe edge Of the gutter and c.vering he
Ill as with blanket, and runnin to
nQps of the tall trees, the walls dp-
It'll il meets in their interld ked
nnghead. A Jersey bad.
= in Novemb as
Richland beacon., 1873-08-16
Causes of Short Sight.

a recent paper by DIR. Liebreicl
throws light upon the origin of this de
feet. He demonstrates that the two
evils of permanent short sight and cur.
vature of the spine, both SO much more
frequent among the educated than the
uneducated classes of society, are de.
veloped by the unnatural posture usu-
ally enforced in schools. During child
hood the eve possesses a great power OF
accommodating itself to distance, and il
in reading and writing the desks are SO
arranged that the eye, instead of being
twelve to fifteen inches distant, is kept
at seven or eight inches from the book OF
paper, the eve adapts itself to the near
object, and permanent short sight is the
result. Moreover, as the predisposition
to the disease is hereditary, short sight
is constantly ON the increase in highly
civilized countries. The bad posture
adopted at writing desks is also the chief
cause of lateral curvature of the spine.
In extreme cases, says DIR. Liebreich,
the cOpy-bOOk is pushed forward, so that
its lower border is inclined at an angle
of fOrty-five degrees with the edge of
the table. The head is lowered and 80
much twisted that the left eye is only a
few inches distant from the book the
left cheek almost touches the left hand,
or even leans upon it; the ribs of the
left side are pressed against the edge of
the desk, and the taller children slip
backward on the forms, so that only the
lower part of the thighs rest on the mar
row bench. In many schools the pupils
maintain this unnatural position for Sc
veral hours daily, until at last the mus
cles are Overtired, and permanent dis
tOrtion of the spine is the inevitable re-
suit. To avoid these evils, desks should
be so constructed that when the pupil is
seated the shoulders should be even, the
spine straight, the head balanced on the
top of the spine, the elbows on a level
with each other, and only the hands and
part of the forearm resting on the desk.
In order to effect this, DR.. Liebreich re-
commends desk in which the angle is
twenty degrees, for writing, and which,
by turning up flap, gives an angle of
forty degrees, for supporting book for
reading. He strongly condemns theab-
surd unanatOmical notion that straight
spines can be insured by making children
sit mp straight without support for the
back, thus overwhelming the muscles
and producing the very effect desired to
be avoided. He also deprecated strongly
the unnatural plan of making girls lie
on an inclined board or on the floor, ga
foolish torture which misses its aim"
A couch with an angle of forty-five de-
grees, with curves adapted to the cur
vatnres of the spine, is one best adapted
to girls with threatened spinal distOr-
tion.-Phitadeiphia Bulletin.
Richland beacon., 1873-08-16
New Mexican Mermaids.

A delicate but self-satisfied youth of
great Gotham recently found himself in
one of our New Mexican coaches. In
leaving our gOodly town the shOddy ex-
quisite placed himself carefully upon
the back seat by the side of miniature
rifle and fishing tackle, which he carried
as part of Ills baggage. As the coach
drove over the Acequia bridge. the
youth saw a picture which caused his
heart to dance with delight. In the
shade of the tall cottonwood trees,
which line the banks, gamboled a group
of young Mexican girls in the limpid
waves of the Acequia.
"For Gods sake, Mr.. Driver, what
are those beautiful animals ?"
"Them are mermaids," answered the
stage man, suppressing a strong twinkle
in both eyes.
80 hold on Just one minute" and
out went exquisite with line and rod,
while he threw the hook toward the
laughing group with gesture of be-
seeching agony.
The gay thrOng gradually closed on
the fascinated fisherman as he sat upon
the bank drinking in the rapturOus
scene before him, but paying little at
tentiOn to his lin or bait. Suddenly a
biack-eyed Peri of about fifteen caught
the emf of his pole, and, with dexter
Ous movement, landed the fisherman
into the middle of the Aceqnia. Every
mermaid of the batch Immediately took
lively interest in irrigating their cap
tive, who only succeeded in crawling up
the Acequia bank after desperate strug-
giles, aud very much in the condition OF
a Norway rat.
The washerwoman at the next station
declared she nt yer saw so much Rio
Grande mud on one suit of clothes in
her life, and the young man was heard
to mutter often to himself: Odd
hard fish to catch, those Mexican mer-
maidsw
Richland beacon., 1873-08-16

NEwToN's ECCENTRIcITIEs. Isaac
Newton, during the two years which he
spent in preparing and developing his
immortal work. only lived to calculate
and think, preserving no connection
with the ordinary affairs of life. 1t is
said that, frequently, on rising in the
morning, he would sit down by his bed
side, arrested by some new conception,
and would remain for hours together
engaged in tracing it out, without dres-
sing himself. If he did Get on his
clothes before the mood came on, he
would ignore the necessity of eating. A
waggish friend called one day, and.
finding him absorbed in thsught, sat
down and ate the dinner which a SER
want brought. When Newton came to
himself, he arose, lifted the cover and
quietly remarked "I had forgotten
that l had dined." To one who asked
him by what means he had arrived at his
discoveries, he replied "By ALWAYS
thinking unto them" Here vas> the
iHeret Qf his, success, -
Richland beacon., 1873-08-16
LINES To TIE PAINTED CUP.

Now, IL thou art poet, tell me not
That these bright chalices were tinted thus
To bold the dew for fairies when they meet
On moonlight evenings in the hazel bowers,
And dance till they are thirsty. Call not up
The faded fancies Of an elder world;
But leave the scarlet cups to spotted moths
OF June, and glistening hies, and hummngbirds
To drink from, when all these boundiess lawns
The morning sun looks hot. Or let the wind
O'erturn in sport their ruddy brims, and pour
sudden shower upon the strawberry plant,
To swell the reddening fruit that even now
IIeIthes slight fragrance from the sunny slope.
But thou art Of a Rayer fancy. Well
Then let the gentle Manitou Of flowers
Lingering amid the booniy wastes he loves,
Though all his swarthy worshipers are gone
Slender and small, his rounded cheek all brown
Aud ruddy with the sunshine; LET him come
On summer mornings, when the blossoms wake
And part with little hands the spiky gr ass;
And touching, with his cherry lips, the edge
Oi these bright beakers. drain the gathered dew
Brudgf
Richland beacon., 1873-08-16
Value of Right Calculation.

Men are apt enough of themselves to
fall into the most astonishing delusions
about the opportunities which time af-
fords, but they are even more deluded
by the talk of the people about them.
When children hear that new carriage
has been ordered of the builder, they
expect to see it driven up to the door
in fortnight with the paint dry on the
panels. All people are children in this
respect, except the workman, who knows
the endless details of production and
the workman himself, notwithstanding
the lessons of experience, makes light
of the future task. What gigantic
plans we scheme, and how little we ad-
vance in the labor of a day Three
pages of the book TO be half-erased
tomorrow, bit of drapery in the pic
ture that will probably have to be done
over again, the imperceptible removal
of an ounce OF m6Fble-dust from the
statue that seems as If it never would
be finished SO much from dawn to tui-
light has been the acoomplishment q
the golden hours. If theEo = one -.
son that experience teach orsly ~ =
this To make plans III ~ Gl<1G11[
limited, and to srrango &1e wu( = 3
practicable way With - limb ~
we must accept. NJ UoD1oo tiDo
like miscalculation r1iyco Il
results. It is the p = oDor1D.
ness, tie great smith W l116iilke
and the unservicef ~
ertOn. -
Richland beacon., 1873-08-16
On Danburial Ground.

A broken-hearted young thing writes
to a weekly paper as follows "About
three years ago 1 became acquainted
with young gentleman and although
he never paid me any particular atten-
tion, he would often accompany me to
and from church, etc. But lately 1 no
ticed great change in him. He avoids
me as much as possible, and starts if /
address him. Can he have ceased to
love me? for / know he did, though he
never said SO. If thought he had, it
would break my heart" Perhaps we
ought not to interfere in this matter !;
but, as we know exactly what should be
done with the young man, We feel as if
we ought to speak out. DO not attempt
to reason with him, or cajole him, or
pacify him. The next time he calls take
monkey-wrench, fasten it securely
upon his nose, lead him of to the dining
room, and ask him in firm voice what
he means. If he won't answer, twist the
wrench three or four times, and butt his
head up against the stove o. the mantel-
piece until his gloom is dis Plled. If he
says he has ceased to love- bu, let your
fingers daily with his ri lets lovingly
for a few minutes, and tl suddenly lift
ont a counle of handf J, and have an
Irishn.an at hand to Cd e III and sit on
him awhile, and kns out his teeth,
and jump up and q on him, and be
sociable. The ln 60, and CON-
freah e - - - s1Ord to waste as e
ycnr - sab.e wretch 4 as
Richland beacon., 1873-08-16

Advertisements inserted at the rate Of 81 50 per
square for the first insertion and - cents for each
subsequent one. Ten lines or less constitute
square.
sH- Professional Cards. 5000 per aunum; 4; for
six months 81. 50 in advance.