davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Richland beacon., 1873-10-11
The Price of the Emerald.

The price of the emerald has no fixed
and extended scale, like that of the dia-
mond, and the fluctuations of its value
during the past three centuries from an
interesting chapter in the history of
gems. Two hundred years ago the
price of small stones of the first quail
ity was one louis the caret one and a
half carets, five louis two carets, ten
louis and beyond this weight no rule
of value could be established. In 1900
emeralds were 80 plenty as to be worth
only a quarter as much as the diamond.
The markets we're glutted with the fire.
quent importations from Peru, and four
teen years before the aforementioned
period one vessel brought from South
America two hundred and three pounds
of fine emeralds, worth at the present
valuation more than seven millions of
dollars. At the beginning of this cen
tury, according to Caire, they were
worth no more than twenty-four francs
(or about five dOllars) the caret, and
for long time antecedent to 1850 they
were valued at only fifteen dollars the
caret. Since this period they have be-
come very rare, and their valuation has
advanced enormously. In fact, the
value of the emerald now exceeds that
of the diamond, aud is rapidly approach
ing the ratio fixed by Benevenuto Gel
lini in the middle of the sixteenth CEN
tury, which rated the emerald at four
times, and tie ruby at eight times, the
value of the diamond. Perfect stones
the emerald is exceedingly liable to
flaw, tho beryl is more free, and the
green sapphire is rarely impaired by fis-
sures or cracks) of one caret in weight
are worth at the present day two hun
dred dollars in gold. Perfect gems of
two carets, weight will command five
hundred dollars in gold, while the lar
ger stones are sold at extravagant
prices. MAGAZINE.
Richland beacon., 1873-10-11

neither fat nor lean; while Louis XVIII.
the wit, the genius OF the family-the
cunning old Joker who so snugly en-.
sconsced himself in the sheets of Ns-
poleon's state bed was phenomenally
fat. His subjects used to call him
"Louis COehon," and "Louis des Hui
tres" Obvious considerations of de-
licacy bid us abstain from saying any,
thing about the four Georges although
much might be written on the injustice
of those accusations of stupidity
brought against the last George, who
was certainly more gentleman than
fool hut there can be no harm in re-
marking that Queen Anne was fat stu
pid woman whereas George IFS Queen
Caroline, although fatter, was very
clever. William I'LL, in every respect
great man, was as thin as herring;
his consort Mary was just little less
eorpulent than her sister, but great
deal shrewder. And so the shuttlecock
of evidence is banded to and fro by the
battledores of contradictory cases. In
politics we are puzzled when we remem-
ber that William Pitt was lean and thin,
whereas Charles James Fox was, to-
wards the close of his life, man. noun
tain. In the literature of the last cen
tury we recall plump little Mr.. Gibbon,
the hardest student and worker of his
century; fat Capt. Grose, the anti
quarry; portly DIR. Parr big, hulking
Sam'l johnson, and hurley DR.. Bur
pey. But, on the other hand. Voltaire
was 4 spectre ;Southey had lean and
hungry look and Charles Lamb was a
mere mite of man. Nearly the only
instance in which we can get our feet on
firm ground in this shifty controversy is
in respect to DR.. Kenealey's position,
that the fat boy at school is usually
slow stupid boy, who cannot learn his
lessons and is the butt of his playmates.
At the mention of such an obese youth,
the remembrance of the fat boy in
" Pickway," and of the late admirable
comedian, Mr. Kelley, as a corpulent
lad in "To Parents and Guardians"
suggest themselves irresistibly to the
mind but. turning from the fat boys of
fiction to those of fact, very slight
amount of medical knowledge will suf
flee to convince US that fat school-boys
and fat schoolgirls are nearly always
very stupid, because abnormal corpu-
lence in boybood or girlhood really |
amounts to disease The sufferers are |
slow to talk, and seem slower to think,
for the reason that they are in chronic
state of discomfort and unrest. Yet |
here, again, we are brought up sharply
by the reminder that babies cannot be
too fat, and what mother would tolerate
the assertion that bebies are stupid |
1t is worse than idle to dogmatize on
this vexed topic.
Richland beacon., 1873-10-11
Highway Robbery in Nevada.

A startling episode of frontier life
comes from Nevada, where four bold
brigands recently waylaid and pillaged
stage-coach while going to village in
Sierra county. There were fourteen
pass engers aboard, and they had just
emerged from thicket when four men
sprang from behind the rocks, and seiz-
ing the horses by the briddles bade the
driver get down and take the horses
from the coach. Next the passengers
were told to dismOunt and seat them
selves on q redwood log. As each of
the robbers held double barrelled shot
gun, the order was obeved with alacrity.
The passengers sat still as mice under
cover of the shot-guns, and silently
watched the operations of the robbers
The sconndrels drilled holes about the
lock and elsewhere in the door, poured
powder into the openings, tamped them,
and then lighted the fuse. In half a
minute there was thick puff of smoke,
a dull, heavy sound, and there lay the
safe open. 1t was but the work of a
minute to sack the bags of gold and
packages of greenbacks, and then the
robbers ordered the passengers to
mount. The travellers obeyed and took
their seats, and then the driver was
ordered mp and drive on quick. The rob-
bers relieved them of between $1,000
and So, 900, and after making a mile in
uncom monty quick time it was ascer-
tanned that every man of the fourteen
had revolver safely slowed away in his
trunk or valise.
Richland beacon., 1873-10-11
PERSIAN ETIoUErrE.-AmongOt other

PERSIAN ETIQUETTE. other
customs enforced by Persian etiquette is
the rule that where superior dimes with
an inferior the latter brings in the f,st
dish himself, practice not without pre-
cedent at western courts. The bringing
dish is, however, in Persia no light nm
dertaking, and requires considerable
skill, strength and practice, for the man.
ner in which the operation is performed
is, especially at court, strictly pre-
scribed. The dish or tray must be held
ut arms length, carried perfectly horri-
zontally. and deposited precisely in the
right place at once. Some ludicrous sto-
ries are related about this practice. One
old gentleman with magnificent beard
had to bring in large tray containing
several dishes, and place it in front of
the shah. The tray was heavy, the bearer
was feeble, and, TO make matters worse,
Just as he was about to deposit, acandle,
which he had not observed, set fire to his
magnificent beard. For a moment he
was in a state of the utmost perplexity.
To put down the tray elsewhere than in
it's appointed place, an operation which
required some deliberstion, was out of
the question. To allow his cherished
beard to be consumed was also impossi-
BILE. He was equal to the occasion, and
plunging his flaming beard into a dish
of curds which stood on the tray he
calmly completed his task, amidst the
applause and amusement of the be-
holders.-Hedrth and Home.
Richland beacon., 1873-10-11

TROPICAL VEGErAT1oN.-A Panama
paper gives a striking illustration of
the vigor and rapidity of vegetation in
the trophies by referring to the bushes
and trees growing in the ruins of the
burnt Aspinwall hotel at Panama. 1t is
scarcely more than two years since this
conAagation occurred, and yet there are
now growing within the walls trees at
least 80 feet in height. They belong
to what are called trumpetItrees Cicero
pia,) and the branches are said to be
crowding out of the highest doors and
windows, so as to render it probable
that in their further growth they will
throw down the wall with which they
are interlaced.
Richland beacon., 1873-10-11
Texas Doctor on q Case Of Fever.
First DoctOr-Tt's voI1Ov fever

First Doctor-It's yellow fever.
Second ditto-It's malarial.
Third ditto-Tyhpo s&o.
Fourth-It's epithalium of the thora1,
superinduced by miasmstic memora-
billia.
Fifth-I have been practising twenty
years with yellow fever, and the case re-
ferred to is purely bilious and bourbon
in it's diagnosis.
Sixth-As for the remedy four grains
of the hydro-choloride of the carbonate
of beeswax, tinctured with the muriatic
of jim-jam, applied eternally, will GER
tainly afford relief.
Seventh-There are two mild cases
here, or else there is heap O. fuss and
feathers about two cases of bilious
fever.
Eighth and ninth So you have been
visiting one of my cases, have you ? R.
m thug! The fur flies and the glass
ware smashes, and We draw the curtain.
Dallas NeUs.
Richland beacon., 1873-10-11

-"Some years ago, said Old Hank,
II took bed-bug to an iron foundry,
and droppet; it into the ladle where the
melted iron was, and had it run into the
skillet. Well, my old woman used that
skillet pretty steady TO, the last six
years, and here the other day she broke
it all to smash, and what do you think,
gentlemen, that ere insect Just walked
out of his hole where he'd been lying
like frog in a rock, and made tracks
for his old roost up stairs But. by
George, gentlemen, he looked mighty
pale?"
Richland beacon., 1873-10-11

The honor of having erected the
largest and grandest Masonic structure
in the world belongs to Philadelphia.
The building has been five years in
course of construction, and will be dedi-
Gated the present month. It's aggregate
cost is 81, AS, 900 including $456, 1893
paid for the ground. The temple has
four fronts, and tower rising $50 feet
above the ground. This tower is the
great Masonic "land-mark" of the city,
and can be seen miles away. The Phila-
delphians, and especially the Masonic
portion of them, may point with pride
to this grand structure as the most
elaborate building of the kind in the
world.
Richland beacon., 1873-10-11
Building an Arab House.

First of all, the men employed rOved
about and collected together all manner
of fragrants of brick and stone from the
mound, and, indeed, had to watch
them closely to prevent them taking
anything of consequence. With these
fragments they brought a number of
modern sun-dried bricks from the old
village, and, when sufficient amount
of materials was heaped together / had
to lay out the plan of the house by
arranging lines of brick and fragments
in the positions in which I wanted the
walls. The men then made some Arab
mortar for this purpose they dug up
and turned over large square space of
ground, and some donkeys were engaged
to bring skins full of water and loads of
dung. Next the earth, water and dung
were mixed, some of the natives taking
of their superHuous clothing, to tread
in the pudding with their bare feet,
and mix it with their hands looking
like splendid specimens of mud larks.
Each piece of brick and stone was we'll
bedded in this mortar, which was laid
on and faced with the hands. As soon
as the walls were sufficiently high the
workman found that they made q screen
both from my observation and the heat
of the sun, and coming round the cor
ner I sometimes caught the whole
company of them lying on the ground,
smoking their pipes. When the walls
were finished denkeys we're engaged,
and tue whole party went on an ex-
cursion to the banks of the Zab to col
lect and cut brushwood for the roof.
This Job lasted them two or three days,
and then fresh mud pies were made to
bind the brushwood and complete the
roof. A staircase, built up to the roof,
made as usual of brick and mud, finished
ne elegant structure.-Cor. London
Richland beacon., 1873-10-11
The Patent Office.

The annual report of the commits
sioner of patents for the year 1872 has
Just been issued from the government
printing Office. 1t gives a complete
alphabetical list of patents for the year,
13, 500 in number, with name, residence
and invention, alphabetical lists of in
ventioDs, designs, reissues, extensions,
disclaimers and trade marks. In addi-
ton to this technical information there
is considerable amount of statistical,
official and general matter, which con-
veys some idea of the vast field of
scientific and mechanical progress COW
cred by the ingenuity of the people of
the United States. The report gives
the following exhibit of the business of
the Office for the year ending Dec. 81,
1872:
Richland beacon., 1873-10-11

"A Rhode Island blacksmith haa sue
ceeded in changing the gait of a pacing
horse to that Of q trotter, by simply fast
:ying an extra pair of shoes heavier than
dual to the fore-foot whenever he wants
& SSShorse to trot, and taking them off at
ASe5yAipek The sudden change Of
1fexiS- 1AAk forces the horse to
Richland beacon., 1873-10-11

Secretary Belknsp has engaged
James Parton. the historian, to arrange
for the publication of the original manu-
script papers of Washington, which re-
Gently came into the possession of the
war department. Among the papers is
the origional order book used BY Gen.
iXishiSf - he was in comnn
Richland beacon., 1873-10-11

The financial exhibit of the Office is
not only Aattering to its prosperity and
magnitude, but shows that it Is one of
the few, very few, selfsupporting
branches Of the government.
For the year ending Dec. 81. 1872,
the receipts and expenditures were as
follows
Racain,s ecoQ -1e ~
Richland beacon., 1873-10-11

The state os business at different
times from 1897, the date of the present
organization of the bureau, to 1872, may
be sc n by the following comparative
exhibit
Richland beacon., 1873-10-11

One of Gen1 Jackson's corn-cob
pipes is to be seen in Nashville. Any
one who has access to corn-crib can
make one of these pipes, and if he is
good goo q IX!,s he g can exhibit valuable
Richland beacon., 1873-10-11
OCTOBER.

There comes month in the weary year.
month Of leisure and healthf'u rest;
When the ripe leaves fail and the air L. clear:
Octobcr: the brown, the crisp, the biest.
Ny life has little enough Of bliss
drag the days Of the odd eleven,
Counting The time that shall lead to this,
The month that opens the hunters heaven.
And for the mornings crisp and white,
With the sweep Of the hounds upon the track !;
The bark-roofcd cabin, the canp-hre's light,
The break Of the deer and the rifles crack.
- WOW AL th.- trhing ! tell you, friend,
4 iic Ia the forest Is Iast all praise,
tilI- me dozen such months on end.
You may take my balance II years and days.
For brick and mortar breed fllth and crime.
And pulse of evil that ihrobs and beats;
And mon grow wither-d before their prime
With the curse pa led in on the lanes and streets;
And lungs are CHI kei, and shoulders are bowed
Ia the smo' 'hering rerk Of mill and mire;
And Death stalks III on the struggling cr 81,
Bat he shuns the shadow, Of oak aud pine.
And of all TO which the memory cings,
There ID naught So sweet a. the sunny spots
Where our shsn'irs stood by the crystal springs,
The vanished hounds, and the lucky shots.
The Aidine.
Richland beacon., 1873-10-11

-Ruskjn declares that in color rob-;
redbreast is outshone By biz A. y
:.,.aa:s and hs EajsAt add Istds ts:; y
,rGtIfSs5
Richland beacon., 1873-10-11

The following shows the number of
patents by states and territories and
army and navy:
Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-10-25
ASsYRIAN DISCOVERY.

Mr.. George Smith writes to the Lon don
Daily Telegraph: "The collection brought
home by the expedition confiled to my
charge includes over four hundred separate
inscriptions, besides various objects of art,
domestic economy, implements, etc. The
inscriptions throw new light on the history,
politics, astronomy, mythology, geography
and language Of ancient Assyria; but it
would be tedious to your readers to infict
on them q critical and minute examination
of sll these texts. will, therefore, select q
few as characteristic specimens of the col
lection, and l shall commence with text
that has att acted most attention-that,
namely, which belongs to the Deluge series.
When last year published translation of
the text in question, was obliged to note
with regret that in the first coluu of the
inscription there were about fifteen lines
entirely lost. The lscuna occurred at a
point Of high intsrest to students and the
world in generAl-for the Divine Instructor
of Sisit was about to give orders for the
embarkation in the ark. It is needless,
therefore, to say with what satisfaction l
lighted upon the welcome tablet which fills
up this very important gap. The fragment
l found during the Daily Telegraph expe-
dition, belongs to the first column of the
Deluge SERIES of inscriptions; it contains
the speech of the god Hes, the commenced
ment of which is on the portion of table
already in the Museum. On the fragment
of the old collection, Hea tells Sisit to warn
the world, because of the wickedness of the
people; ON the Daily Telegraph portion,
Hea continues by predicting the flood, and
then commands Sisit as follows:
'On the coming Of the food which I shall
send, thou shalt enter into the ship, and the
door OF the ship turn, thou shalt send into
the midst of it thy corn, thy furniture and
goods, thy gold and silver, thy male slaves,
and thy female slaves, the sons of the army,
the beasts Of the field, the animals of the
field, sill that thou nearest thou shalt do e
: they shall spread, and they shall
guard the door Of the ship. Sisit attended
and opened bis mouth, and spake, and said
to the G ID Hea, his lord.' Five lines of
the speech of Sisit follow this. They are
too mutilated for exact translation; and
then in the answer Sisit refers to the diff
culties in the way of the work. l need not
dwell upon the interest of placing this &C.
count side by side with that contained in
the book of Genesis"
Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-10-25

No disease which does not confine man to
his bed so completely units him for business IS
dyspepsia. When the stomach is foul, the brain
is always muddy and confused, and as the cares
and anxieties of life are sufficient burden for
the organ of thought to bear, without being tor
mented by the miseries born of indigestion, it
is highly desirable for the brains sake, as well
as for the sake OF every other portion of the sys-
TEN, that the disordered stomach should be re-
stored with the utmost dispatch to healthy,
vigorous condition. This object can always be
accomplished by course of Hostetter's Stom-
ach Bitters, the purest and best of vegetable
specifics, which evacuates the morbid humOrs
through the bowels, rouses and tones the torpid
stomach and regulates the liver, imparts firm
its mental cobwebs. Persons subject to attacks
of indigestion, bilious headache, irregularity
of the bowels, sickness at the stomach, or "tbe
blues" should take the Bitters once or twice
day throughout the present season. s
OctH de0dlw&w1t 3dp t..-s-s t... 81.
Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-10-25
CAPRICE.
2 W. D. HowEILs.

She hung tie cage at the window;
eff he goes by" she said,
"He viii hear my robin singing,
And when he lifts bis head,
I shan be sitting here 70 sew,
And he viii bow to me, / know"
The robin sang ioye-sweet song,
The young man raised his head;
The maiden turned away and blushed;
si 81 am fool" she said,
And went on broidering in silk ~
A pink-eyed rabbit, white as milk.
II.
The young man ioitered slowly -...s ~.
BY the house three times that day:
She took her bird from the window; ,-.a.-.a.
she need not look this way"
She safe at her piano long, - ~
And sighed and played death-sad song.
But when the day was done, said she,
81 wish that he would comet
Remember, Mary, If he calls
To-night-Im not ct home"
So when he rang, she went-the elf
She went and let him In herself. r
They sang full long together,
Their songs loye-sweet, death-sad;
The robin woke from his slumber.
Ard rang out, clear and glad.
CHOW gol" she coldly said; 'ntis late;''
And followed him-to latch the gate.
he took the rosebud from her hair, ..-.
While, "You shall notIn she said;
He closed her hand within his own,
And while her tongue forbade,
Her will was darkened IN tn eolipse
OF binding love upon his lips.
Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-10-25
Of the attorneys stated at Tracy City, was

Of the attorneys stated at Tracy City, wa
| $1,100.
cannot believe these gentlemen knew
what had taken place between the Chancei
lor and the Clerk and Master, but it Is alb
solntely certain that the purpose Of Sanders
and Bouldin in organizing the Court was 10
defeat the ac!ioa ofthe Governors appoin.
tee Ia the attempt to administer
| justice.
The Sheriff and bis deputy having reach
ed Altamont while the court was in session
and the purpose having been m ade known
By showing their order of the Chancellor to
Bouldin and Sanders, there was for q
time quite freq discussion about putting
the Sheriff and his deputy both In Jail,
which, however, was terminated by sim
gle point made by the deputy which struck
everybody in the courthouse with great
force, that, "by c. they didn't have
force enough"
The sheriff madea return that Sanders
the Clerk and Masser, pulled off his coat and
swore he could whip anybody that came
from TfacE City, and with armed men kept
him from getting the books, and thereupon
the court ordered the sheriff to take posse
and srrest Sanders fer contempt, and
bring the books.
After two days hunting Sanders was
found late at night many miles from home
hid in acloset or wardrobe. A part of the
books and papers were then found
where they had been hid, and Sanders was
brought to court under arrest. The court
imprisoned him until, the balance of the
books and papers were produced. since
which time be has broke custody and is
now In the woods, and bis wife, Mary E.
Sanders, who wrote the letter
yoa published yesterday, signed "E. N. S."
admits she has the books belonging to the
Chancery Court, but refuses to give them
upiunder the order OF the court; while
Sanders sureties are being sued By various
parties for his violation OF his official bond.
The attempt of the Sheriff with small !
posse to arrest the Clerk and Master for the
most outrageous and inexcusable contempt
to the Court and its process, is psraded ss
military operation of myself with thirty
men. This is about as near correct as the
balance of the article. Where The thirty
men were do not know; certainly l was
at Tracy City attending to my business.
The disregard Of the certiorari means
this and no more. The Chancellor believ- |
Ing the county was already removed, went |
to Tracy city to hold the court, and when |
Bouldin and Sanders were arrested they set |
up the strange defense which they had re- |
solved to make by staying away, that they |
bad obtained from Judge Guild certiorari |
and supersedeas, taking the case to the Cir
cult Court.
Upon examination It was found that |
after the vote was counted and the county /
'eat declared removed, Bouldin and San
ders who had no more interest in the oues-
ion than any other citizens, and who were
not parties, asked an appeal which the
,ort refused; theteupon they obtained a
,ertiorari. This the court believed and de-
,ided was a nullity as they have no right to
N appeal, tbs whole matter being municipal
md affecting all the citizens alike.
: q. A. 8. CoLYAR.