davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1873-10-20
A WILD WESTERN SCENE.

The Denver Tribune relates the fol-
lowing
An old drover from the far-off plains
of Texas got upon the Kansas Pacific
train at Ellsworth with the intention of
going to Kansas city There also got
upon the train at the same station two
cattle dealers, one Of them short, mus
cular little fellow, who plays the most
prominent part in this affair. A party
of three of those pestiferous thieves
known to all Western railroads-mcnte
gamblers-soon made their presence
known, and in few minutes pocketed
the old drover's last twenty dollar note.
1t was at this juncture that the above
mentioned little cattle man interfered in
the old drovers behalf, when the monte
men arrogantly told him to mind his
own business. The young man resented
the hint, word led to words, and words
to blows. The cattle drover managed
to put in series of scientific sledge-
hammer blows, which soon sent the
monte thief bowling and bleeding over
/ the seats. The other monte men joined
in to take hand, when the other cattle
drover met them. and in short time
punished them fearfully. Finding
themselves beaten, they retreated at the
muzzle of the cattle mems revolvers t.
the sleeping car, and locked themselve'
up in the drawing room, drew their re
yolvers and knives, and babe defiance t.
further attack. A council OF war wa
held in the front car, when it was agreet
that the monte men should be permltte'
to hold the sleeping car until th
Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1873-10-20
DOWN IN GEORGIA.

10 90 from East Tennessee to North
Georgia. you 60 from poor to poorer and
poorest. This is not only as far as the
lond, but tho paArln aro nnnoo-noa
The people of East Tennessee are poor,
but honest and hospitablc; those of
North Georgia are poorer but every whit
as honest, and quite as hospitable.
When the women go out to work in
the fields they leave the baby at home,
but, as 1t would cry if hungry. they
provide against that contingency. They
tie string to piece of fat meat, and,
putting the meat in the young Sand
lapper's" mouth, they tie the other end
of the string to his big zoe. If he should
suck the meat down his throat and begin
to be strangled. a naturally vigorous
kick brings it out again.
The people would all leave here if
they were not to poor to go, but all their
efforts in these rock k-hills will not bring
them far enough in advance of expenses
to take them away. They eat corn-bread
and ham, and ham and corn-bread, all
the year round and seldom think Of
ANYTHING better. | heard Of one fellow
saying: "If 1 ever get fore-handed
enough, I'll have as much sowings and
molasses as | can eat for once, anyhow.
.Sowins" is kind Of fried stuff made
from the gluten of -four, and is favor
ite dainty down here.
The names the people give to places
and natural object here are highly curl
Gus and interesting because they illus
trate the mental tendency of the common
people. There is '.Shinbone Ridge" ant
..Rattlesnake Holler, Devils Mouth,
gap in the mountains "Whiske.
Bottle" and "Moccasin Gap" LANES Q
particular localities. 1t reminded m
of North Carolina names. There the
have "Skunk's Misery" "HelPs DE
light" and the ..Bellyache,' swamp
Lafayette (Ga.) Cor. st. Louis Glob
Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1873-10-20
CHINESE sEPULCHREs.

The Chinese modes of sepulture are
various. Wealthy families purchase
plots of ground. which they enclose and
plant with pine, frs, cypress and other
eyergreens and furnish with temples, IN
which the ancestral tablets are preserved
and the periodical sacrifices tothe names
of the departed performed. These buri-
al places are reverently cherished for
generations, and often most picturesque
and romantic spots. The tomb is gen
orally composed of one or more chambers
constructed of brick laid with mortar so
peculiarly prepared with the admixture
of rice aud sugar as to harden into
marble, and defy the ravages OF centu-
ries. Over this is placed respectable
mound, either covered with plain sod
and surmounted by some outrageous
evergreen, or cased with mortar. This
mound is encircled, except in front, by
a low substantial wall. which turns off
at either side at the entrance, and so de-
scribes as near as possible the form of
the Greek letter omega. Fronting the
entrance is the headstone, which always
bears plain inscription. of which the
following is fair translated specimen:
1.-The tomb of A. B.. of Nirgpo, of the
reign of Tungchih, of the Tatsing Dy-
nasty; erected on propiticus day in
vernal month of such and such year"
The age, condition or history of the de-
ceased is never given; neither do the
inscriptions ever indulge in the eulogist-
ic comments or pathetic quotations SO
common to epitaphs in Western countries.
In cases where the deceased was a per-
son of eminence. or a high public func-
tlonary, it is customary to front the
grave with an avenue formed of several
pairs of gigantic stone figures of men
and ANIMALS. which, although but rude
specimens of works Of art, always CON-
bine to give the scene an imposing and
solemn character. This must, however,
have been practice more common in
ancient times than now, for | cannot re-
member ever having observed any such
monuments about the country but what
were hoary and ruinous with age. The
ancestor of the family and his spouse al
ways occupy the most commanding spot
in the enclosure facing the supposed
"Feng shuy." and the other branches Of
the family arc ssigucd Piaocs on 0i.he'
side, the graves advancing towards the
main gate as the generations descend.
have seen them arranged in one or two
instances with all the order and exacti
tude of genealogical tree.-"In Fa'
Cathay"
Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1873-10-20
HOW SHE TAKES THE TRAIN.

She comes down to the depot in an
express wagon three hours before train
time. She insists on sitting on her trunk,
out on the platform, to keep it from be-
ing stolen. She picks up her reticule,
fan, parasol, lunch-basket, small pot
with house plant in it. shawl, paper
bag of candy, boquet (she never travels
without one), small tumbler and extra
veil. and chases Historically after every
switch engine that goes by, under the
impression that it is her train. Her voice
trembles as she presents herself at the
counter of Dinners restaurant and tries
to buy ticket and she knocks with the
handle of her parasol at the door of the
old disused Toulouse in vain hopes that
the baggage man will come out and check
her trunk. She asks everybody in the
depot and on the platform when her
train will start, and where 1T will stand,
and. looking straight at the great clock,
asks: "What time is it now 2" She
secs, with terror, the baggage man shy
her trunk into car where two men are
smoking. instead of locking it up by it.
self in large, strong, brown car with
bad order, shops chalked on the side,
which she has long ago determined to be
the baggage car, as the only safe one in
sight. Although the first at the depot,
she is the last to get her ticket, and once
on the cars, she sits, to the end of her
journey in an agony of apprehension
that she has got on the wrong train and
will be landed at some strange station,
put in close carriage, drugged, and
murdered, and to every last male pas
senger who walks down the aisle she
stands up and presents her ticket. which
she invariably carries in her hand. She
finally recognizes her waiting friends Oh
the platform, leaves the car in bnrsi
of gratitude, and the train is ten miles
away before she remembers that her ret
icule, fan, parasol, lunch basket, shawl
candy. tumbler, vail and bouquet are OF
the car seat where she left them, or il
the depot at Peoria, for the life ef hel
she can't tell which, ReUieU
Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1873-10-20

z
martyred President. But for that fatal
glass L do not believe that the wretched
man could have steeled his nerves to
fire that terrible shot which was 'heard
round the world
impeach, therefore, the dram-seller
as participant in every crime that is
engendered by the maddening draught
he SELLS l impeach the keepers of all
the dram-shops for the results which le-
ultimately flow from the traffic. They
are partners in producing the poverty,
the misery, the profanity, and the woes
that are bred by the intoxicating cup
they sell.-Dr. T. J. Catyler.
Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1873-10-20

WAGES IN EURopE.-After reading
such statements as the following, the
wonder is, not that emigration is not
more rapid. but that SO many people IN
European countries manage to scrape
enough money together with which to
seek more profitable fields of labor:
"Sixty cents day is considered good
wages for a working man in any of the
European countries, except Great Brit
ain. where the wages are somewhat
higher. In the Tyrol silk region and In
Italy, they often do not get more than
ten cents. In the country in Germany
ten cents is the common pay. Women
there often get but five cents. In Swe-
den, men often work from four o'clock
in the morning till nine in the evening,
and do not get any more. During the
late war, many poor women In Berlin
were hired to knit stockings for five
cents. The profits of the poor who keep
petty shops, sell trinkets in the streets,
or act as suffers. do not average more
than three or four per cent. BARRIERS in
Berlin, since the raising of their prices,
get FIVE cents for hair cutting, and two.
and-a-half cents for shaving. Servants
at hotels get from thre to eight dollars
month. Servant girls in private fami
lies often get but ten dollars year
Sometimes these classes cannot get worl
at any price"
Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1873-10-20

BANKRUPT LAw.-'.Sambo, what your
pinion OBJ de bankrupt law %
link um fus rate, Pompy.'
II imply fer de appellation, myself.
Just splain him's principles. .
..Why, you see here now. Jes len me
dat half dollar you got for whitewash-
ing
Pompy hands him the money and
Sambo deliberately puts it in bis pocket.
"Dare den, now l owes de shoemaker
three shillings, and you half dollar,
besides de grog shop bill. Now dis halt
dollar am all de property | hab got. !
devides him according to de debt.
"Pompy, | takes, dat half dollar
back
Sambo with amazement: "You tinl
dis chile green? You gifts your share
wild de odder creditors"
Sambo was as honest as somt 0thcrs
Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1873-10-20

DEATH IN DRAM sHoP.-This carni-
val of murder must be stopped So say
all good citizens. But how shall the
stream of crime and misery be stopped
while the fountain is in full blow. There
is third participant in this awful trag-
edy. The man who sells the dram
which maddens the victim, is morally an
accomplice in the crimes which the
drinker commits while under the infu-
enee of the drink. The liquor-seller
may not wish his customer to commit
crime he may not know either just
what mischief the intoxicated man may
do; but he does know that he is prepar-
ing the customer for crime.
The man who sold the ''brandy te
Wilkes Booth was, in one sense, an ac-
! complice in the assassination OF oul
Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1873-10-20
A Little Girls Curiosity.

Ny mas been working very hard,
And also very sly,
And keeps her sewing out Of sight
Whenever | am nigh.
| asked her once what made her stop
Her work when | came in,
She said she only stopped to get
A needle, thread or pin.
The bureau drawer next to mine
Is locked both night and day.
And when ma wants to open it
She sends me off to play.
/ stole a peep one afternoon,
Although it was not right;
But oh the little things saw
Were such pretty sight
The cutest, incest little clothes,
Just big enough fordoll,
But then | know they're not for her,
She needs them not at all.
! know they're not for ma nor pa,
For me nor brother "Hor.,'
For we can't wear such little clothes
| wonder who they're for?
Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1873-10-20

SLANG AND WIT.-The Philadelphia
Ledger says,-slang is not wit. Neither
is the misspelling of words humor. And
We may go even further, and say that
the prevalent disposition to present ev-
erything, serious rs well as triaing, in a
ridiculous light, is not only bad as a
matter of taste, but mischievous as a
matter of morals. Yet there are many
people whose sole effort in writing and
in conversation appears to be in the di-
rection of what they consider ''smart-
ness" This constant trifing with the
sad realities of human life, with the Sc
rious work of human kind, with the
events of the day and with the facts Of
history. with the character of the living
and with the memory of the dead. is
lowering the tone, not only of literature,
but of morals. The world itself is not a
huge joke, however some people may SC
affect to consider it.
Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1873-10-20

A mass of copper was recently taken
from the Cliff mines, Lake Superior which
weighed thirty tons
A man in New York has a watch
which he claims has gained time enough
to pay for itself in six months.
A lady, in rapid pursuit Of health at
Saratoga, boasted to her physician whom
she met as she was leaving the spring,
IL have just drank five glasses of Con-
gress." "-"Then don It let me detain you, !"
was the quiet reply.
In passing through dark tunnel on
Pennsylvania railroad woman's voice
was heard exclaiming: "Don't you fool
around there! carry a pistol in my
paaier
Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1873-10-20
: VANDERBILT ON WHAT'S
THE MATTER.

Commodore Vanderbilt, in conversa-
tion with press reporter, is reported to
have said;
.I'll tell you what's the matter. Peo-
pie undertake to do about four times as
much business as they can legitimately
undertake. There are a great many
worthless railroads started in this coun-
try, without any means to carry them
through. Respectable banking houses
in New York make themselves agents
for the sale of the bonds of the railroads
in question, and give kind of moral
guarantee of their genuineness. The
bonds soon reach Europe, and the mark
cts of the commercial centers, from the
character of the indorsers, are soon food
ed with them. These worthless roads
prejudice the commercial credit of our
country abroad. Building railroads
from nowhere at public expense
is not legitimate undertaking | might
make allusions to Texas. Midland and
othor new railroads, but friend
of the iron roads and like to see them
stretching to every corner of the United
States. They help to develop our COM
merce aud civilization. aud ought to be
encouraged. ALI | have to say is, when
railroads are to be built. don't victimize
the public to build them. When I have
money. buy railroad stocks or some
thing else, but don't buy on credit |
pay for what get. People who live too
much on credit generally get brought
up with a round turn in the long run,
The Wall street averages ruin many a
man there. and are like faro. Mistrusi
will be engendered till We as nation dc
our business on a more solid basis and
pay as we GO"
Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1873-10-20
SUPERABUNDANCE OF CERE.
- MONY.

In nothing is the sentimental side Of
the Austrian people better shown than
in their tender regard for the memory
of the dead. They live in a turmoil of
excitement, which wearies at last, and
death comes as rest and peace. The
grave yard is called FriebAof; and those
that have seen are. indeed, places of
rest-homes of quiet and peace. On
all the new-made graves are wreaths and
bouquets of flowers; and on those upon
which the turf has grown are garlands
of immortelles, often replaced by loving
hands In the quiet church yard of a
country town have found in the early
mornings scores Of people, who come to
do honor to the memory of those they
have loved and lost Sometimes | have
been the witness of scenes inexpressibly
beautiful and touching. A child comes
with fearful eyes, and brings from the
woods root Of violet, and with loving
hands places it on the soil of a new
made grave. When she goes away, she
bends down, and. while her tears fall
onto the fresh earth, murmurs "Sleep
we'll, sleep we'll. dear father" Other
children come with vessels of water and
fill little basins, that the birds may come
and drink and sing their matin and even
songs above the dead. In the churches
in the cities burial are conducted with
great pomp, even the poorer classes rob-
bing themselves, as with us, that they
may honor their dead. Companies are
formed who undertake to supply all the
paraphernalia of woe: long velvet pals.
gold embroidered, and carriages in any
number liveried coachmen, and brass
bands that have wonderful repertoire
| of dirges and marches; torch bearers
too, who have doleful look and walk
as solemnly as if they really had an in.
terest in the occasion. There is always
procession in the church, with as many
candles and as much music as the friends
can afford to pay for. All this is t.
glorify death, which is already glorifiee
through Christ. All this pomp is vel
enough for those who find comfort in it
but how trivial it seems beside the grea
thought of Deaths supreme grandeu
and beauty-Death, the monarch t
whom all peoples, all creeds, all age
bow-Death, that comes like an angel
with soft footsteps" and bringeth peac
Death, that transcends our little woe
and chickering's, bushes our meanings
puts its finger on the lips of our com
plants, and wraps us all in mantle G
sweet sleep! Let the churches be deck
ed with garlands; let the bells and tn
organs and the trumpets peal forth thei
notes let the choirs chant their diIge
and solemn words be said; through al
a thousand tear-wet faces are lifted, an
sobs are heard, and hearts are half-brt
ken, for Death comes home to all alik
Let us lift our half-blinded eyes ant
with uplifted hearts as well, thank th
good God that there is Ger all the cart
reigning monarch who forgets not h
humblest subject, but comes to him
last with gift that kings may envy
e Independent.
Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1873-10-20

CoNcERNING GIANTs.-ln 1854, DIR.
Thomas Molyneux. F. R. S. read apaper
before the Philosophic Society of Lon
dou, in which he gave an account of
large human os frontis. preserved in the
museum of the Medicine School at Ley
den. He pronounces the bone to be hu-
man, without doubt, and concludes
that the man, if of corresponding proper
tions, must have been eleven or twelve
feet high.
Diemerbroek. in his Anatomy, says
that he saw in Utrecht, in 1868, man
eight feet and six inches in height. who
was born in Schoonhoven, Holland, Of
parents of ordinary size. Ray mentions.
in his Travels that he saw the same man
at Bruges. Charles Byrne, an Irishman,
measured eight feet and four inches. He
died in 1888, at the age of twenty-five.
His skeleton, now In the College of Sur
geons. London, is eight feet high. Ed
mond Malone, another Irishman, born
in 1852, stood seven feet and seven
inches with his shoes off; and Patrick
| Cottar, still another native of Hibernia,
is said to have been of the enormous
stature of eight feet seven and three
quarter inches. Walter Parsons, porter
to King James l. of England, was seven
feet seven. Macmillan Christian Mil
ler, native of I.eipsic, who died in Lon
don in 1874, measured nearly eight feet
The brothers Knipe were each about
seven feet two; and M. Louis, a French
man, was seven feet six The latter
had two sisters nearly as tall as he, ano
brother who was taller. Miles Oar
den, born in Tennessee, in 1898. was
seven feet and six inches in height
4a,Dlef0,a's Journal.
Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1873-10-20

HoosAc TuNNEL.-Work has SO far
progressed in the Tunnel that each 9TH
er's blasting can be distinctly heard by
the hands on the east and west faces,
and water flows to east end without
pumping The most skeptical (those
who said it would never be done) are
now convinced that the tunnel will soon
be completed and the cars running
through it. Frost, the Superintending
Engineer of the Tunnel, reports that
down to the lst of August, the distance
blasted from the entrance of the west
end toward the central shaft. was l,l39
feet, leaving about LOO feet to be bored
before the mountain will be pierced.
This will be accomplished by the lst OF
December, but it will require SIX OF
seven months to complete the Tunnel,
which will probably be ready for the
passage of trains on the 4th of July next.
Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1873-10-20

POETRY MADE PRACTICAL.-The sad
dest case Of poetry of which We have
ever heard is that Of young lady in
Missouri. A short time ago she found
it impossible either to eat or sleep, and
for ten days remained in that unpleasant
state. Strange to say, the moment she
was attacked she began to speak in
rhyme. Every sentence uttered by those
afflicted lips was rich with sweetest mel
ody and measure. Ordinary affairs she
turned into extraordinary verse-for in-
stance: Dearest ma, list to your daugh-
ter; Give her. 0 give her a glass of
waughter," and so on. These charming
rhymes were made with no sort of effort
at all, but just tumbled out with start
ling rapidity and precision. Some Of
them, we are told, were extremely beau.
tlful. Alarmed by so dreadful an i'll
ness, all the nearest physicians were
summoned by her heart broken parents
each prescribed different opiate, anc
by this means poetry was conquered
she slept-her life was saved. Less Sc
rious cases of this fearful disease hav,
been known-none before so persisten
and absorbing as this.
Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1873-10-20

There are three women candidates for
the Office of school superintendent IN
Cass county, Louisiana. Seventeen
qualified voters have already been talked
to death, and the campaign will soon be-
gin in earnest.
It was an Irish coroner, who, when
asked how he accounted for an cxtraor-
dinary mortality in Limerick. replied
sadly: Il can not tell. There are peo-
pie dying this year that never died be-
fore."
Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1873-10-20

TROPHIES BROUGHT BY Two YOUTHS
FROM DEN OF RATTLERs.--In Fayette
county, near the line of the Chesapeake
and Ohio railroad, there is famous
rattlesnake-den, which. has always been
a source of terror and fear to those who
have looked overits precints, as well as
to those who have even heard of the
fearful revelations of the size and num-
Der of the venomous reptiles which infest
this polson-stricken cavern. In number
their name is legion, and in age, size,
and downright radicalism, there are no
figures and names to represent them. A
short time since two daring young men
resolved to make an experiment, by way
Of forming some insight as regarded
their numbers, and, clothing themselves
from head to foot in suits of thick buck
skin with large, sharp knives in hand,
they sailed forth into The poison-infested
region. They entered, cutting and slash
ing, the snakes rafting, kissing, and
striking at their adversaries, and, when
these enterprising youths landed on the
other side, their clothes were sight to
see! AS snake would strike his fangs
would be deeply and firmly implanted
in the buckskin, and off would go his
head by well-directed blow by the hand
and knife. By making a fair count, it
was found that 240 snake heads were
attached to the clothes of one of the par
ty. and 160 heads firmly fastened to
the other More would have been Sc
cured, but it was not a good day for
snakes. But any one who does not be-
lieve the foregoing true story, will be
convinced of its entire correctness by
inquiring at this office for the name of
our informant.-Greenbrier (Va.) IN
dependent.