davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1873-08-02

THE time is at hand when the peo-
pie of the county are required by law,
to elect three school commissioners for
each district, and unless they propose
to turn the common school system into
a mischievous farce, they should re-
solve to secure the best material that
the county affords. The County Su-
perintendent, We feel satisfied will do
hiswhole duty, but however efficient
he may be, the system cannot prove a
success without the willing and intel
ligent support of those who may be
chosen by the people. as his advisers
and assistants. 1t is useless now to
dwell upon the duty of the county to
educate the children within its linn
its, or upon the importance of educa-
ton as the means of securing the gen
eral welfare and happiness of those to
come after us. The need of the
hour is action not argument.
We must educate the minors of
the county, or pay taxes for
the instruction of those of other
counties. This fact alone should suf-
fee to make us all earnest advocates
of the district schools and of the
measures best calculated to make them
a success. The additional fact, that it
is an experiment, should be an equally
conclusive argument in favor of Sc
lecting the best men to whom to con-
fde an interest paramount to all others
affecting the social and political well
bring of every people. Virtue and in
telligence safeguards of liberty, and
education, moral as well as intellect
ual, can alone provide those safeguards.
THE UNDEvELoPED WEST; OR
FIVE YEARS IN THE TERRITORIES.
Being complete history of that vast
region between the Mississippi and the
Pacific, its resources, climate and in
habitants, natural curiosities etc
Life and venture on prairies, noun
tains, and the Pacific coast. With
PA illustrations, from original sketch
es and Photographic views of the
scenery, cities, lands, mines, people and
curiosities of the great West. By j.
Ell. Beadle, western correspondent Of
the Cincinnati Commercial, and au-
thor of Life in Utah." etc. Mr..
Beadle's works heretofore have. pro-
ven interesting and instructive, and
this one promises to be a readable
book. This book is issued by sub
scription only, by the National Pub
fishing Company, atMemphis, Tennes-
see
Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1873-08-02
Commissioners Sale OF Land.
NJ Wv. w osbur nv vs. Ms. M. A.c. osburun ed. Ais
Saturday. August 2, 1873,

July Term, 1873 of the County Court, / will
offer for sale 10 the highest bidder at the
Court-hOuse in GAINESVILLE, on n {
Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1873-08-02

M||M TTF|F-'07I|E -TE|- = y
Fine Gold Pens for sale by
arfI OWEN g. MOORE
APP. l3-tf. u mol oaidiYne
Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1873-08-02
baccO.
III XNI

Musical Instruments of all
kinds, such as violins, Quit
airs, Banjos, Harps, etc., also
a splendid stock of Violin
and Guitar Strings for sale
by OWEN & MOORE.
HLIaIE aEIsIIngIaA ~ Rl !
Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1873-08-02

White Lead, Oil, Paints
and Painters Material for
sale low at Byers'.
Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1873-08-02

If the following style of eloquence
fails to cause the erection of number
less school houses, all efforts in that
direction will be in vain:
Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1873-08-02
CLARKSFILLE WHOLESALE MARKET.

,palding's Glue with brush, always ready
Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1873-08-02
Ayers Cathartic Pills,

For the relief
and cure Of al
arrangements In
the stomach, iv.
er, and bowels.
They are q mid
aperient, and an
purga,
"a tive. Being pure
ly vegetable, they
- contain no mer.
m curry or mineral
50 Uhafav1r Much
The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-12-19
MacMahon's Duelssin 1927.

He was then straight, tall boy of
nineteen, with wide blue eyes, light
haxen hair, and a demeanor somewhat
solemn and thoughtful. Little given to
dissipation, he preferred riding and the
manly sports of his boyhood to the
gambling, hard drinking, and frivolous
gallantries in which most of his brother
officers indulged but, on the other
hand, he was n noted and skillful duel
ist. This was one of the necessities of
his position. An officer who went much
to court, and had personal reasons for
being attached to the king, could not,
in those days, stand by Indifferent while
the royal family were assailed by liberal
journalists, and by Bonapartist officers
of Napoleon's old army. MacMahon
made point of attending the Cafe Va
lois, in the street of that name, which
was then the head quarters of royalist
officers, and there duels were arranged
almost every night as coolly as pigeon
matches would be in these our times.
II was the custom for the liberal papers
to be placed in q heap on the central
table. At o'clock officers dropped in,
and at 6, when the room was full, the
papers would be read aloud, and if one
of them contained anything offensive to
the king, the officers drew lots among
them as to who should go and challenge
the editor. Important journals were
then generally provided with a respon-
sible fighting editor, whose sole mission
it was to accept challenges. He was
generally an old half-pay officer or SER
geant, and now and then it happened
that he could not even read. MacMahon
fought seven of these gentlemen in the
course of five years, and it is on record
that he was never once wounded, nor
did he ever kill his man. He was singu-
larly expert in the art of pinking his
in the feshy part of the right
arm, just above the elbow, inficting a
wound that was not dangerous, but
which obliged his adversary to drop his
foil like hot coal, and to keep his arm
in sling for six weeks. This thrust
got to be known as "la bottle McMa-
hon." and it earned the young officer
many encomiums, for which he little
cared, being in his heart averse to duel
ing.
The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-12-19
An Extraordinary Voyage.

A curious story comes to us across
the ocean of shapeless bundle OF rags
found recently in tree top in the south
African colony of Natal. 1t proved to
be one of the missing balloons which
fIoated out of Paris during the siege
with a freight of letters and dispatches
orders from the government OF ma
tional defence to its guards in the field,
and messages of love and cheer, OF sor-
row and complaint from the suffering
citizens to their friends outside. III the
government had no better way than this
of reaching its commanders, it is per-
haps not surprising that the military
operations of France occasionally lacked
consistency. 1t has been suggested
that the contents of this erial mail may
have an important bearing upon the
trial of Bazaine but a question which
will interest the public far more than
the purport of the letters is how the
balloon should have found its way from
France to the southern extremity OF
Africa. Natal is over five Thousand
miles from Paris, in a direction almost
due south. We should like to know
what Prof. Wise's easterly current was
doing while the air-ship made this ex-
traordinary voyage.
The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-12-19
Pntting on a Shirt.

There are things which man can do
with some show of dignity and even eie-
gance, but the putting on of clean shirt
is not one of them. Even those fastid-
ious chaps who put one on every week
never become so expert and familiar
with the process that they can go
through with it with any degree of COM
fort or dexterity, and the less extrava-
CANT individuals who change only once
a month, are really to be envied. The
feat is accomplished in this way: You
Law the garment down on the bed, or
across a table or washstand, bosom down.
wards, each rustic of the stiffly y-starched
garment striking terror to your soul.
Pulling it open, you make strange
draft on your courage and resolution,
and plunge into it, thrusting your arms
here and there in O frantic and desper-
ate search for the sleeves, finding which
YOU struggle manfully in an endeavor
to draw the garment down so that you
can catch a glimpse of the outer world
once more. By the exercise of proper
amount of Judgment you are finally sue.
cessful in this, and you find yourseit
gazing out upon surrounding objects,
encircled by stiff, rustling linen, when
props your chin up in the air and gives
rise to a feeling as though you were
braced around about by crowbars, with
no prospect of ever being able to sit
down again. Putting on a collar and
tie. yon don your outer garments and
sally forth, feeling as uncomfortable
and uneasy as though you had Just sat
down on a coat-tail pocket tull OF eggs
The Tribune calls Massachusetts,
''the state where thanksgiving was dis
covered" /"
The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-12-19

ing, as the fires were dying out in the
late camp of the Union army, Squills
turned his head again towards the va
zoo.
There isn't such time on record as
that make by Squills, and his train on
that second of January morning, for
they reached the river about 4 O'clock.
and then the festivities commenced.
Bang A gun from the confederates.
"How are you, Johnny ?"
Bang bang Sharp and quick.
Hurry up, boys they know we're
scooting.'
zz-crack-bang!
sect your stuff on board, Squills, 3"
cried Lewis B. Parsons, riding up.
Cant stop for that"
'Pitch it on any how, boys, hurrah !'
Bangl bang bangl
1t was getting lively somewhere, with
avengeance. If the confederates could
reach the bluffs below Johnson's land
ing with their guns before we could get
there, then it would be more lively still,
for every shot would be a plunger and
one would be enough to settle the hash
of the best transport in the fleet.
" All aboard, everybody"
A wild scene of hurry and confusion.
Every boat for itself and the devil
take the hindmost.
Bang bang bang!
&c Let go those lines there"
Bow first ; stern first =; anyhow first
anyhow to get out of that place.
Crash 'Now then, where are you
coming to ?" Crash again. And still
the guns blazed away, and the boats
swung round and battered into one an
other. Finally they got their heads
straight down stream, and off they
went kting to the Mississippi, with
broken to speak of after all.
All kinder scared, but jolly with it all.
"Stores saved, general" +" said Squills
to Steele. reporting on the Continental.
Charlie" said Steele to Scammon,
" make Squills a cocktail"
"Stores saved, general" said Squills
to Blair.
Lucky for you, squills, said Blair;
&c take cigar"
"Boys," said Squills to Mcguire and
"Im going to my little
bed don't let anybody come near me
for two days"
"My bleeding country, how I suffer
for you," thought Squills, as he rolled
in between the blankets to dream of
mountains of hard-tack and islands of
mess-pork, swimming in oceans of
bayou.
And that is how Squills and the other
boys in blue cleared out from Chicka-
saw.
The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-12-19
Recollections of a Lawyers Life.

Of distinguished jurist, now occu-
pying the bench of one of our district
courts, are extant multitude of inter-
esting stories, narrative OF lively cpl
sodes, encompassed within the history
of his long and vigorous practice before
the New Orleans bar, and herewith will
be found brace of incidents now with
in keen recollection. It is related of
him that one hot summer day, making a
hurried Journey to court, he forgot his
tried and trusty pocket-handkeIchief,
the absence of which he discovered only
when he reached the sacred temple, but
being then at once called upon to de-
liver an argument, he was compelled to
take the chances without its valued
services.
His address being particularly vigor-
GUS and lengthy, and the advocate a
gentleman, portly, well preserved son
of Adam, he gave frequent and distress
ing evidences of the severe labor of his
mind and body by perspiring freely. In
short, not to put too fine a point on it,
he sweat like beaver.
The absence of his handkerchief for
ced him to make shift for something
wherewith to mop his face, at intervals,
and nothing presenting better than vari-
GUS sheets of blotting paper, these he
clutched from time to time, and swabbed
his frontispiece of its bountiful watery
exudations. Unhappily for the old
chap, those particular sheets of blot
ing paper happened to be well satura-
ted with ink, which, under the moisten-
ing process recited, picturesquely be-
smearedt he countenance of the Black
stonian each time he brought them into
play.
As may be apprehended he soon pre-
sented a most extraordinary and ludi-
crous appearance, so much so that all
who gazed upon him-jurors, Judge and
lawyers-at first, with difficulty, re-
Trained from boisterous laughter, while
the poor victim, all unconscious of the
figure he cut, and at loss to account for
the mirthful signs about him, kept fir
ing away at the jury, and mopping his
face with the paper until he grew so
grotesque that restraint was no longer
possible, and all hands, even the judge
on the bench, joined in hearty laughter.
Ere the counselor could demand an
explanation, the court, explaining the
cause, suggested that he had better
wash his face, which, intensely mortified
of course, he proceeded to do, the case
being held in allegiance for
his return.
OF the same gentleman it is said that,
having been cured by DIR. Stone of an
illness, he visited the doctor one day,
by fellow-lawyer, for the
urpose of paying the medical man for
his services.
Both lawyers were rather shabby and
seedy in their costumes, and the decor,
in his proverbial eccentric manner,
after eyeing both from head to foot for
fully minute, without uttering word,
blurted out with, "What do you two
do for q 1iving?"
Tremblingiy one of the pair ventured |
to remark, ave are lawyers, SIR"
Lawyers, eh," returned Galen ; |
&c well, think by your looks that the |
legal profession is at mighty low ebb |
now. 1 guess you're in need of all the
money you've got, and so'' (turning to
his former patienD "your bill is moth
ing. Co." And they went.-N. o.
Times
The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-12-19
The Chase of the Virginius- How
Twelve Cubans Died.

During the chase, at one time, the
Virginius succeeded in putting fifteen
miles between her and her pursuer, but
shat, on board of the Tornado, by the
most prodigious efforts, they overlook
her. The smokestacks of the Tornado
were heated to red heat, and flames
seemed to come from them rather than
smoke they were so hot as to cut off
communication between the crew fore
and aft, and several alarms of fire in
the engine-rooms were given.
According to the declaration of some
of the expeditionists, it is stated that
two torpedoes were thrown overheard
from the Virginius, in the hope the
Tornado would run on them and be
blown up. The waterproof lines of
connection are still to be seen on board.
When the Spanish boarding officer,
Eugene Ortiz, with only ten men,
boarded the Virginius, he called on the
captain to surrender, who Immediately
did SO. The steersman who was ordered
to the wheel was threat t.e. " one of
the expeditionists, who oGet ~ > pistol
at him, but was prevezsl5 saan using
it. Bembeta at the It's vas in his
shirt-sleeves, having Taken off and
thrown his coat and vest into the fur
naces of the Virginius as an example to
the others. During his stay in the
Tornado, he says that he had a ciga-
rette ready to set fire to a cask of
powder when about to boarded, but at
the last moment reflected that there
were many young men under age aboard
whose lives would be spared, and he
did not want to take upon himself the
responsibility of sending them thus ab-
ruptly into eternity.
The deck of the Virginius when
boarded was in the greatest confusion,
covered with papers, insurgent cock
ades, five pointed buttons, pieces of
linen, harness and bayonet-sheaths.
The lower cabins were so filed with
Goals and the cargo that but twenty per-
sons could find accommodations below,
and consequently the remainder of the
persons on board lived on deck.
Nothing is said by the officers con-
corning the details of the execution
save that Captain Fry died like brave
man, and it was due to his appeals that
a number of comrades accepted in the
last moment the consolation of religion
and embraced the Catholic faith. An
officer of the Tornado, in speaking OF
the manner in wich the last twelve
Cubans died, among them being Gen.
Quesada's son, Walls, Mola, and others
Of the best families of Cuba, remarked:
90 can not exactly qualify their man.
ner of receiving their end as valiant,
but must call it cynical they laughed |
and joked on the way to the place of
execution, and, upon arriving there, and |
after being compelled to kneel, some |
picked up handfuls of earth and threw
It at their companions, with the words,
Chico que te sea la TERRA Leve' (my
BOY, may earth rest light upon you). |
At the last moment they commenced to
shout 'V5U0 Cuba 6bre i" etc., and
ougles had to be sounded and drums
beaten to drown thei1 voices"
The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-12-19
Our Merchant Navy.

The portion of the forthcoming re-
port of the register of the treasury,
which refers to the American merchant
marine, is of general interest. It ap-
pears that on the Both of last June there
sells, with 4,696,02 tonnage-an in
crease, as compared with the close of the
previous fiscal year, of 19, ,493 tonnage
in the foreign trade and 238, 668 tonnage
in the coastwise trade. This country,
at the date mentioned, owned 1888, ,801
tons of sailing vessels, ], ,156, 443 tons of
steam vessels, and ], 155, 7S2 tons of canal
boats and barges, three-ffths of the
years increase having been in the latter
class. Of the steam tonnage reported,
aboat one-sixth is employed in the for
eign trade of the country. During the
fiscal year just closed shipbuilding re-
ceived great impetus, there having
been built 2271 vessels, with 359, ,246
tonnage-an increase of over $50, 900
tons compared with the preceding year.
This great increase, the register attrib-
utes to the serious losses to our mer-
chant shipping by wrecks, and the fact
that, owing to advances in the prices of
labor and materials abroad, the cost of
American built ships is now but slightly
greater than the best English vessels.
The tonnage built during the last fiscal
year was IA, ,629 of sailing vessels, 49,
OIL of steam vessels, and 126,606 of
canal boats and barges. Twenty-six iron
vessels were built during the year, ag-
gregating 26, 528 tons-an amount about
equal to the iron steam tonnage built
during the two previous years combined.
Three of these vessels were of the lar
gest class, the steamers of the Philadel-
phia company, intended for foreign
trade. There are 2640 American ves-
sells, with 154, ,274 tonnage, employed in
the fisheries and owned chiefly in New
England. OF these, the cod and mack
ereI fishermen are constantly increasing,
whilst the whalers as regularly decline.
Thus, there are 1877 whale ships, with
A, 755 tonnage, registered this year,
whilst last year there was 81 sos tonnage
engaged in the whale fisheries.
The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-12-19
A Georgia Mans Locomotive.

There has just been completed at the
machine shop of Lafferty & Bros, Glou-
cester City, N. j., four-ton locomo-
tive, designed to run on one rail. 1t is
built for a street railroad company in
Georgia. This engine can with propri-
ETY. be called steam velocipede, as it
rests upon two wheels, one following
the other. The rail or track upon which
it is to run, a sample of which is laid in
the yard of the builders, is styled "Pris-
mold, or one-track railway" and is com
posed of several thickness of plank, built
up in the style of an inverted keel of
vessel, with fiat rail on the apex. Up
on a trial speed of about twelve miles
an hour was attained, and the inventor
and patentee claims that the speed can
bealmost doubled on heightened track.
Mr.. T Grew, of Opelika, Ga, IS the in
ventor nd patentee of both tracks and
engines, and he claims that his inven-
tions demonstrate tractive power sup
erior to anything in the locomotive line
of equal weight. The capacity for run
ming curves is very much greater than
the two-rail system. The track upon
which the trial was made contained thir-
ty-six feet of lumber and eighteen pounds
of iron to the lineal foot, proving itself
equal to a span of twenty feet, remain
ing firm and unyielding under the pres
sure of the engine as it traversed the
road. The revolving fanges attached
to the engine, and which run on the out
sides of each wheel, Mr.. Grew claims,
absolutely lock the rolling stock to the
prism, and obviate the necessity of so
much heavy rolling stock in light traffic
at high rate of speed. 1t is also claimed
that a prismoidal railway built with
base of fourteen inches, angles forty
five degrees, can be built at cost OF
So, 900 per mile. The inventor is of opin-
ion that this engine and track is parti-
cularly adapted to the propelling of
canal-boats, and will compete successfully
with horse power on canals without ne
cessarily interfering with the use of the
latter, but he does not state in what way.
The engine will shortly be shipped to its
destination ATLANTA, Ga. }, where it goes
into operation on street railroad, built
at an elevation of twelve feet above the
sidewa1k
The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-12-19
Assistant Orderly Tweed.

Two rows of cots extend through the
room, and in the center is great stove.
There are two desks, several cases of
medicines, and large quantities of band
ages and lint. Seventeen patients occu-
py cots, and to them Tweed is to minis
ter. The chief orderly is a well educa-
ted young man of good family. He was
sent the penitentiary for stealing and
selling railroad ticket, belonging to
the Pennsylvania company, emitting the
holder to passage from Philadelphia to
San Francisco. He has four months yet
to serve. The physician gives instruc-
tions to this orderly, who tells Tweed
what to do. Tweed, it is said, has al
ready taken liking to the young man,
and they are thought to be very agree
able companions. Although Tweed is
not so active as a younger or thinner
man might be, yet he shows a disposi-
tion to do well what is required of him,
and handles the patients with care, re-
moving old bandages and putting on
new ones, and administering medicines
as though used to the work all his life.
He has a desk where he occasionally
writes. The orderly yesterday said he
was much pleased with his assistant,
He and Tweed find opportunity fire.
quently to sit by the stove, toast their
toes and discuss the topics of the day.
They are not deprived of reading mat
ter, and can keep themselves we'll in
formed. 1t will be necessary for Tweed
to arise at about half-past six in the
morning, and there may be occasions,
the warden says, when he will have to
stay up all night attending to those
under his care. Common prison fare,
unless the physician prescribes some
thing better, will be provided for him.
The heirs of Remus Ferry, who