davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1873-10-16
Spicer's MeanneSs.

ABOUT the meancst little thing that has
come under our notice for some time was
perpetrated the other day by Spicer, at the
drug store, upon two timid and reserved
gentlemen. One of them our friend
p, is following the legitimate, and we
dare say lucrative, business of lightning
rods for the protection of his fellow men.
With almost Christian fortitude he had
argued the erection of these life.preserving
rods-the only safe and reliable ones in
use-upon the house of friend Spicer.
How wildly did he picture the horrors
that are liable to present themselves to
Spicer or any other man whose house does
not wear rods-as he returns to his family
after hard thunder shower. Wife, child,
all passed into eternity in an instant, and
perchance house burned down, and the
heavy weight that would forever lay up
on his heart that he was the cause. For
the sake of few paltry dollars he had re-
fused the protection and caused the death
of beloved wife and a dear child. For
the ninth time he sat down for few hours
talk with the hard-hearted Spicer upon
this subject, which at the time being was
nearest his heart. Just as he had got fair
ly engaged Spicer jumped up, ran to the
door and calling in stranger, brought
him forward and said:
"Mr. p, allow me the pleasure of
acquainting you with Mr.. Il, agent
for the Chicago Life Insurance Company.
Mr.. H., Mr.. P-i is reliable
lightning-rod man of our town.
Dear reader, pause for moment. 1mag-
inc, if you can, the situation. An insur-
ance agent and lightning-rod man met
face to face in mortal combat. What a
CLEAN of satisfaction flashed over the
countenance of Spicer, as he drew oack
from the scene that would inevitably fol-
low, and as he was near the door he was
heard to say Eight it out on that line,
boys, if it takes all summer. am sorry I
can't be with you, but matters at home de-
mand my immediate attention" Neither
agent has been heard from sincc.-Albert
Lea (Minn.) Enterprise.
The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1873-10-16

any apparition. But the king of beasts is
condescending: "For sore ears take lions
suet, melt in dish, and drop into the
ear" which makes US think either that
lions were much more plentiful or sorc
ears much more distressing, than nova
days. Fancy in the Chepe the announce.
ment: "A fat lion killed last week; OF
his suet little left. To prevent disap.
pointment, apply early" For tear of mad
hound, take the worms which be under o
mad hounds tongue, snip them away,
lead them round about fig-tree, give
them to him who hath been rent; lie will
soon be healed; or this: hounds head
burnt to ashes and applied to the wound,
casteth out all the venom and the fOulness
and healeth the man. And 30 goats
grease cures dropsy; dogs milk helps
children through their teething; gall Of
wild buck mingled with field bees honey
makes the eyes bright; hare's heel car
ried in the pocket keeps away stomach
ache; a hare's brain in wine cures drowsi-
ness; burnt hartshorn in hot water kills
worms, and so on.-An the Year Round.
The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1873-10-16
Charms Bits Of Ancient Superstition.

OLD charms dealt with every possible
relation of life. Thus: Eat hair if you
want to look handsome for nine days
after" Put hens heart on your wife's
left side while she is asleep, and she'll tell
all her secrets" "Swallow a mole's
heart, fresh and palpitating, and you'll at
once be expert in divination." "Quartan
agues yield not to ordinary medicine; so
take of the dust in which hawk has
been rolling, tic it up in a bit of white
cloth with red thread, and wear it; or
else knock out the right eye of live
lizard, and wear it wrapped in bit OF
goat-skin." This are from Pliny, who
teaches that all medicinal herbs should
be gathered pickpocket fashion, with the
right hand poked through the left arm
hole of the tunic; yoa ought to be clad
in white robe, with naked. clean washed
feet, and to have just offered an oblation
of bread and wine. Worms out of goats
brain are good for epilepsy; so is rivet
taken from a wrecked ship, inserted in
the bone cut of living stag's heart and
shooting star, count very quickly, for
you'll be free from inflammation as many
years as you can count numbers while the
star remains in view. To cure cataract in
the eye, catch fox, cut out his tongue,
let him 60, dry his tongue, and tie it up
in red rag, and hang round the mans
neck. When something has got into
your eye, rub it with five fingers of the
same side as the eye affected, saying
thrice: "Tetunc resonc0 bregam gressO,'
and spit thrice. If you would escape
stomach-ache, take care that you always
-, ~vo,,r lofk chro Arcf ovA xuoor On
gold-leaf the letters L NJ o r I A, written
dam margidam sturgidam' thrice over,
string him to take the tooth-ache. If any
one has swallowed bone, gently touch
the mouth with the ring-fnger and
thumb, and say nine times, II kiss the
Gorgeous mouth" This is sovereign;
the great Galen himself testifies to the
value of charms in such a case. These
are from Marcellus Empiricus (the
quack, as he we'll deserves to be called,
who flourished about $50 A. D. But this
from Albertus Magnus, is the most won.
derful of all: Gather in August the herb
helitropion, wrap it in bay-leaf with q
VOLTS tooth, and it will, if placed under
The pillow, show q man who has been
robbed where are his goods and who has
taken them; also, if placed in q church
it will keep fixed to their places all the
women present who have broken their
marriage vows. ''This last is most tried
and most true" Lay q VOLTS head unde,
the pillow, and the unhealthy shall sleep
sweetly. His flesh, well-dressed and
sodden, given to eat, cureth dew
lis sickness and an Insight. Fol
disease of joints, take q live
fox and .seethe him till the bones
alone be left, adding oil during the seeth.
ing, and use this as . bath right often.
Let those who suffer from apparitions cat
lions flesh; they will not after that suffer
The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1873-10-16
The Great American Traveller.

ALMOST the only fool honored by occa-
sional mention is Daniel Pratt, the great
American Traveller, and hardly anybody
knows who he is. He was formerly q
printer, understand, and never having
possessed much good sense, was made q
universal butt of by his w-craftslnan,
until he lost the little sense Nature had
provided him with. He went to Liver
pool once in sailing-vess staid three
or four weeks in England, returned home,
and talked so copiously of what he had
seen abroad that his brother-compOsitors
dubbed him the great American Traveller.
They ran all sorts of saws on him, put
stories into his mouth of his wanderings
in Asia Minor, Greenland, Australia, and
Ethiopia, and so bewildered the poor
devil that he came to believe not only
what he had told them, but that he had
actually been in those countries. Since
that time, he has never been more than
300 miles from New York and yet he is
positive monOmaniac on the subject Of
travel. His aquintances, aware Of this,
keep out Of his way for fear of the fate of
Narcissus. They frequently send him to
certain persons by telling him that those
persons-are deeply interested in foreign
lands, and would be delighted to hear his
account tlelOI. his Is St8nulnS JOKE
among typos, and is put off on any one
they can think of.
Prat,'s method is to approach victim
with the remark: II should like to tell
you the story of my travels" and, if the
victim be amiable and patient, he will be
compelled to listen to an incoherent
gallimatia for fully half an hour, when
the racounteur will apply for loan of
fifty or twenty-fi cents, by the way of
parenthesis. The victim will usually pay
that price ON condition that he shall hear
no more, and Pratt will 60 off in search
of new beings to immediate on the altar of
superlative prosiness. By such contra
buttons he manages to live in miserable
fashion, and, as he has vigorous consti-
tuition, and no bad habits as respects him
self, there is danger of his becoming
centenarian. The only advantageous use
to which Pratt might be put is In the for
nation of artesian wells. If he were
placed upon the spot to be bored, and
turned round a certain number of times,
he would sssuredly reach the antipodes.-
N. Y.Cor. Chicago Tribune.
The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1873-10-16

of capital now invested in resl estate,
docks, mills, machinery and fixtures is
estimated at 81, 00O, 900.
The people Of the Upper Peninsula,
Mich, have begun to see the advantage of
making their own pig-iron, instead of
shipping the ore with its thirtv.fiye to
forty per cent. ofwaste material. on which
of course the same freight is levied. Hard
wood exists in abundance, and charcoal
furnaces are being started, together with
pits to supply them with fuel.
The hop crop has been housed, and
the estimated quantity of the entire coun-
try is put at 1880, 600 pounds, of which
New York furnishes more than half, or
{, 100000 pounds. The quality is not so
good as last year. The demand will re-
quire the importation of some $1,000
bales, or about 100000 pounds. There
are no American hops in the English
market now.
There are two million bee.hives in the
United States: Every hive yields on an
average little over twenty-five pounds of
honey. The average price at which honey
is sold is twenty-five cents pound. So
that after paying for their own board, our
bees present us with revenue of over
$s,sO0,OOO. To reckon it another way,
they make clear gift of over pound Of
pure honey to every man, woman and
child in the vast domain of the United
States. Over twenty-three and one-third
million pounds of wax are made and
given to us by these industrious workers.
The keeping of bees is one of the most
profitable investments that our people can
make of their money. The profits arising
from the sale of surplus honey averages
from fifty to two hundred per cent. of the
capital invested.
The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1873-10-16

The Chicago Tines of the 5th says that
during the week ending October 4, $15, 40, 600
in currency had been received by the three
express companies having offices in that city.
This was, of course, exclusive of sums
brought by individuals for investment. The
banks of that city had begun to discount
sparingly.
A Dubuque, Iowa, dispatch of the 4th says
the feeling against the defaulting cashier,
Babbage, had become very bitter. The au-
thorities had been compelled to guard his
house with band of policemen to prevent
acts of violence from an outraged community.
The South.
A dispatch from Marshall, Texas, of the
S0th, says that the yellow fever had made its
appearance in that place.
A dispatch from Memphis, Tennessee, says
the yellow fever in that city had largely in
creased. The interments had reached forty
one on the preceding day. An appeal had been
issued for relief.
A Galveston (Texas) dispatch of the I'd says
that the town Of Lampasas had been inundated
recently by the sudden rise Of a creek that ran
through the place. Twenty houses had been
carried away including the Post Office and
two stores. Six persons had been drowned.
The ravages Of the yellow fever in Memphis
and Shreveport, according to Press dispatches
Of the Sd, had largely increased. In the former
city, over S 900 people had left by the various
trains, many Of whom were i'll at the small
towns where they went. The Odd Fellows
had issued call for contributions from the
Order throughout the United States. There
had been "a yellow fever interments on that
day. In Shreveport there were II yellow fever
interments. The President had ordered 5000
army rations to be shipped to that place for
the benefit of the sufferers.
The virulence of the yellow fever epidemic
at Memphis, according to telegram of the
4th, had largely increased. Hundreds of the
poorer classes were lying uncared for and dy-
ing for want of attention. The interments on
that day in the Potter's Field alone, as re-
ported by the county undertaken, had
reached thirty in number. The whole num-
Der Of yellow fever deaths for the day exceed
ed forty. This included only paupers and
those for whom ceffins had been obtained at
the undertakers.
A New Orleans dispatch of the 5th says the
New Orleans National Bank had gone into
liquidation. The house of Clayoroc had
failed.
The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1873-10-16

Drinking and smoking put q good
deal of money into the treasury. From
July /, 1879, to May 1, 1873 the govern
ment revenue from spirits of all kinds
mot including beer) was $41,9H ,196,
and from tobacco in Its various forms,
t7,176,413.
The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1873-10-16

A petition in bankruptcy had been fled
against the Washington branch of the house
of Jay Cooke 4 Co. on the morning Of the
I'd.
A Washington dispatch Of the Sd says that
the Mint at Philadelphia had been Or
dered to coin double eagles at the
rate Of s1O,OOO,0OO a month. The Califor.
MIA mint had also been directed to run at its
full capacity in gold coinage and trade dol
lars. Ex-Gov. Cooke, of Jay Cooke & Co., had
said that the members of that firm had
pooled their private and personal assets, and
would place them at the command of their
creditors in liquidation Of their Indebtedness.
They proposed to pay every cent they owe,
both principal and interest. The President
had determined to draw upon the 81, 600 900
reserve, if necessary, to aid the movement of
the crops.
A Washington telegram Of the 18th says that
absolute quiet prevailed with regard to the
financial situation.
The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1873-10-16

twenty-five ships are building at
Bath, Me-, giving employment to 1900
men.
New Haven, Conn.,, claims 347 manu.
factories, employing capital of $12,0OO,-
600 and 5000 hands.
The lumber and salt operations of
Bay City, Mich, have agreed to a reduc-
ton of wages of twelve and o half per
cent.
One hundred tons of American bar
iron were recently sold at Liverpool, at
Eli los, thus underselling the English
market.
One million three hundred thousand
pounds of zinc ore was recently turned in
at CRANKY, Mo-, in one week, and $4,000
pounds Of lead mineral.
Bennington, VT, has nine knitting.
mills running night and day. One Of
them manufactures over 5000, 900 ladies'
undergarments in one year.
This years hay crop in Maine is esti.
mated at /, 100000 tons, valued at 81, OOO,.
600. In 1850 the crop was 100000 tons.
1870.
Among the noticeable freight leaving
I0CCuuy 1OI Tile East WGEO uIC000
carloads of bullion, weighing over no.
600 pounds, and three cars Of California
salmon. n
California grape-growers have found
out that it pays to dry their fruit. One
hundred pounds of fresh grapes are worth
81; when dried they are reduced to twen-
ty pounds, and are worth $2.6O.
"A Mr.. Hughes, Of California, is said to
have invented machine for separating and
dressing the fibre of aramie," or China
grass. It weighs 700 pounds, and with
three men dresses 1000 pounds Of green
plants per hour.
Mr.. Gaines, an iron merchant Of Liv.
erpool, in q letter to the press, admits
that iron may be probably purchased in
New York for shipment to England, and
says he is convinced that the American
trade is lost to England.
The caststeel works of Mr.. Krupp, at
Essen, Prussia, now cover an area Of 900
acres-larger than the Central Park, New
York city. Nearly $1,000 men are en-.
ployed In connection with the works. The
area under roof Is 200 acres.
Burlington, vt, is . buzy place. It
has i've steam saw-mills, with Q capacity
Of dressing from 100000 to 100000
feet Of lumber pr month. The amount
The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1873-10-16
General News Summary.


Washington dispatch of the Soth says that
it the expectation Of the Treasury Department
that the importation Of sovereigns from En-
gland will reach $40, 200, 600. A large depositor
with Jay Cooke 4 Co. had commenced proceed
ings in bankruptcy against the Washington
branch of that concern.
The official statement shows that the total
amount Of United States currency outstanding
on the SOth was SO, 90, OS9.
Washington dispatches Of the LIST say the
Attorney General had no official information
regarding complications in Mississippi, but
anticipated repetition Of the contest In Lou
isiana. While taking no part in the contro-
versy between the Ames and Alcorn party, he
was assured that the result must be either the
establishment Of two factions, each claiming
to be the State Government, between which
Congress and the General Government would
be obliged to decide, or the continuance of q
State Government beyond the time for which
it is elected, and such continuance involves
the election of members Of Congress and other
similar questions, upon which the Government
would finally be obliged to pass.
The public debt statement for October is
q. follows:
SIX per cent. bonds. $1,Ss5OUUU,sU
Five per cent. bonds. ass, ST. 800
Total coin bonds. g, ~ 5s7, 500
Lawful money debt. sl4,s7s,ooo
Matured debt. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 15,e56,1 $50
Lee al tender notes. ...... So6,Os9,s42
Certificates Of deposit. 11,25O,OOO
Fractional currency. 46, ~, S91
Coin certificates. ...................... 339,545
Total without interest. 447.494,5s4
-
Total debt ,sOl, 1876, 1854
Total interest. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS $40 ,52s
Com. ..:..................... $sOsa6,7 Isl
Currency. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 3,zS9, 0S2
Special deposits held for redemption
of certificates of deposit as provided
by law. uS5O,OOO
Total in Treasury. sA,7ss,7ss
Debt. less cash in Treasury. 13s 79S s96
Decrease during month. .............. 1901 .467
Bonds issued to Pacific Railroad Com
money. principal Outstanding. ....... s4,ess,sls
Interest accrued and not yet paid. 969.352
Interest paid by United States. q, 447,66
Interest repaid by transportation Of
mails, etc. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 4,422,11
Balance Of interest paid by United
-
The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1873-10-16

Dick Witt, of Greene Co., Iowa, went
hunting few days ago, and In five hours
sixty shots he killed fifty seven, wounded
two, and missed one.
The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1873-10-16

There are about $50 pupils in the
State Normal School at Oshkosh, Wis.
The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1873-10-16

The number of students present this
term at Oberlin College is very large,
much in excess of the usual number, there
being forty more than at the correspond
ing time last year. The conservatory has
one hundred and thirty enrolled, the theo-
logical department forty.five, while in the
college and preparatory departments
there are considerably over seven hundred.
The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1873-10-16

A telegram from Boston Of the 9oth an
nounces the death Of Admiral Winslow, Of the
United States Navy.
The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1873-10-16
Miscellaneous


-Hardships of the ocean-Iron-clads.
The best color for faces-Water-
color.
An intellectual feast-The entertain
ment of an idea.
"A shoe dealer advertises "Woman's
Rights-and Let's"
"A Detroit scavenger is going to Scot
land to get $4,000 left by his uncle.
Thousands of acres of cranberries in
Monroe Co. Wis, have been destroyed by
frost.
An iron will, a silvery voice, plenty
of brass, and little tin will win golden
opinions.
The women of the United States use
more pins and needles than those of any
other country.
The light of friendship like the light
of phosphOrus-seen plainest when all
around Is dark.
Only twenty one steamers arc now en-
gagged in the Upper Mississippi River
trade, while In 1860 there were sixty.
There are now over 500, 1000 bushels of
corn in store along the line Of the Rock
Island Railway, owned by one man.
The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1873-10-16

-Fisherman's Peak, near Mt. Whitney,
in Inyo Co., CAL, is now proved to be the
highest mountain in the United States.
Its summit was recently reached by one
exploring party, after severe effort.
The summit is of granite and dat-topped.
Water was found in natural basin in
the rock, and ice and snow round about.
The party built monument to commem-
crate what there is good reason to be-
lieve was the first visit ever made by
white men to the spot. The ascent was
made from the southwest and the des-
cent nearly west. Both routes were very
steep, not to say dangerous and most Ia
borious, as the party had to climb along
the sharp, serrated crests of the rocky ribs
on the mountain side.
The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1873-10-16
An Astonishing Fix.

OLD Mr.. Mugride, who has cottage up
to 60 up and stay awhile and enjoy the
country air. AS they were all fond of
good beer, he sent up key of new ale to
be put in the cellar and kept until his ar
rival. Saturday afternoon he and his
friends went up. After opening the par
lors and making things comfortable, he
thought little beer wouldn't go bad; so
taking his gimlet and lantern, he went
down to fill the flowing bowl. Arrived in
the cellar, he found that the key was
leaking through an old vent, so getting
his lantern down, he commenced to tap
it, putting one of his thumbs over the
leak but finding that the light wasn't
good where the lantern Set he took the
handle of it in his mouth and continued
boring. Pretty soon the gimlet went
through, and the beer came out whizzing !;
and as he had neglected to make q plug,
he had to put his other thumb over it. He
had the beer all snug enough, but discov-
cred that he himself was in a fix-he must
either stay SO or lose the beer. His mouth
being in use, prevented his calling
anybody. He turned his head to
the left, then to the right and
then he would drop it in a de-
vOtlonal manner, and make q noise be-
tween a snort and a growl. About this
time he began to feel something damp
under him, and found, by investigating,
that he was sitting in pan of soft soap.
Above him he could hear his friends en-
joying themselves in the parlor, playing
the piano, and his daughter singing
Father, dear Father, come home with me
now" followed by "Thou art so near and
yet SO far" His jaws began to ache hold
ing the lantern, and the drool was run
ming out of each corner of his mouth,
which made him nearly frantic. His feet
and legs ached, too, from the cramped po-
sition which he was in, and he had de-
cided to let the beer slide, when he heard
footsteps approach which proved to be the
servant girl coming down after coal. As
soon as she caught sight of him she drop
ped the coal-hod, which fell into tub
containing nest of pet kittens, killing
three of them and causing the old Cat to
light out up the stairs, landing in q pan
behind the stove. The loss of his pets
made the old man 30 irate as to drop his
lantern and rehearse that part of the die
tiOnary which is left out. After scraping
off the soap as we'll as he could, he wend-
ed his way up the back stairs to his room
and changed his raiment. Returning to
the parlor, he told his friends that he had
been out to see q man.-DGnbury Nesos.