davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-02-11
The Fan Palm.

The fan palm is found in greatest
abundance in the warmer portions OF
South America and the East Indies.
Ii usually grows in groups and lives
10 the age OF a century and q half
The wild tribes of GuarGuae, who
live near the mouths Of the 0rinoco,
derive their sustenance from this tree.
They suspend mats made from the
stalks of the leaves from stem to stem
and during the long rainy season sea-
son, when the delta is oyerhowed,
they reside entirely In the trees; by
means qf these mats keeping warm
and dry, and living among their leafy
bowers as securely as if teey be-
longed to the monkey tribe. Their
hanging huts are partially covered
with clayi the fire for cooking is light
ed Oh the lower STORY, and the travel
cr, in sailing along the river by night
sees the flames in long rows, locking
as if suspeneed in the air. The fruit
OF this same tree supplies the food of
the Inhabitants of the huts, the sap
makes pleasant drink the blossoms
something's form an agreeable salad.
aAd the pith of the stem contains at
certain seasons a sort Of sage like
meal, with which 20 vary their bill of
fare.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-02-11
@@ho are You.''

1t is strange how nickname, /
given under favorable circumStan
ces, will cling to a man. One of the
most amusing circumstances OF thi;
ever known was that Of Owl Rus
sel.n so called, who was once the Pri
vate secretary of Henry Clay. Rus
sci was a man of considerable abili
tv. but as vain as peacock. His
chief object in life was admiration.
While in the Missouri Legislature he
got the Soubriguet Of Owl" which
clung to him during life, and, indeed,
blighted all his political prospects.
In debate with an opponent RS
sci had shown a vast amount OF POM
posity. and when he had closed, a
quiet little man arose and proceeded
TO relate a little story. He said that
one might Russell, while travelling,
lost his way iG the thick woods, and,
being stranger, became very nerv-
Gus. While vainly endeavoring to
find his way out of his unfortu-
nate predicament, he suddenly heard
a voice not far away crying Oati
who. who, who are !" Rus
sells answer came back prompt and
loud: Il am Colonel William Rus
sci. for many wears a prominent men,
Der of the Kentucky Legislature,
was School Commissioner of the
Southern District Of Kentqcky, am
now the representative of Galloway
county in the Missouri Legislature,
am spoken of as the Wing candidate
for next Congress, and-l am lost.
Who are you ?" Receiving in reply
only a repetition of the question,
Russell was said to have again given
the information, and the whole story
was told with such effect that the
audience screamed with laughter
Driven nearly frantic, the poor man
arose to Indignantly deny the truth of
the story. when he was greeted from
every quarter with "Who, who, who
are YOU ?" and then followed such a
roar that be was glad to escape from
the mocking crowd and hide himself
in his hotel.-From that time to the
dav of his death be bore the name OF
.0vl Russeln
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-02-11
sza,----,.<z-sl...-.-...k
Ehe Pistol that Killed Eccumsca

The Lexington (Ky.) Gazette says
A gentleman, in whose care it was
left for safe keeping at the beginning
Of the late war, brought to our Office
day or two ago the very pistol with
which the late Col. Il. NJ. johnson
killed the great Indian warrior Te
cumseh, at the battle of Thames, in
1913. 1t was buried in the ground
at the breaking out of the late var to
keep it from falling into the hands Of
the fedcrals. and was only dug up
after the close of the war, and is
very rusty and defaced. 1t was made
by old man West Georgetown, gun
smith Of great repute in the beginning
of this century, and is silver mounted,
and must have been beautiful arm
in the eyes of it's owner and the rough
pioneers who accompanied him to the
wars
The history ofthc killing of Tecum-
sch as told By a near relative Of Col.
johnson, who often heard his uncle
relate ii, is about this: The Colo
nel's horse fell under him, and he
himself had received six wounds,
and was SO weak from pain and loss
of blood that he could not extricate
himself from his dead animal While
in this predieament, he saw large
Indian approaching him rapidly,
brandishing tomabawk, and be
made sure that he would be scalped
unless be could protect himself in
some way. He first attempted to
draw his sword bat he could not,
but by Q great effort be managed to
get his pistol frcm the holster, and as
the Indian approached and had got
ten within a few feet Of him, he fred
and then tainted After the battle
this largo Indian was found lying
within a few feet of the Colonel, and
by those who were famil-
lar with his features to be no other
than Tecumseh himself, and it was
never doubted in the army that Col.
johnson had killed him, and with
pistol shot.
The bore Of this pistol is very
large. and carries a ball of sufficient
weight to kill an elephant The
present owner of this venerable relic
is young Dick johnson of MISSISSIPPI
pi, to whom it was given by the Col
0nel and to whom it will be forward
ed hv express
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-02-11
How 60 nrlvea rEcrrc.

There is point OF prime impof
tance in driving any horse, bnt es-
pecialiy Young one: j. IS th' way
YOU handle the reins. Most ivers
over drive. They attempt 100 .ueh !;
and m so doing dis ract at ! mper
the horse. Now and then yoa tiud
a horse with such vicioG gait that
his speed is got from him by the
most artificial process, but such
horses are fortunately rare, and
heHce the style of management re-
ouired cannot become general. The
true wav is TO let the horse drive
himself the driver doing little but
directing him, and giving him that
confidence which a horse alone gets
in himself when he feels that a guide
and friend is back of him. The
most vicious aud Inaccessible style
of driving is that which so many
drivers adopt, viz, wrapping the
lines around either hand, and pulling
the horse backward with all their
might and main, SO that the horse,
in point of fact, pulls the weight back
of him with his mouth, and not with
his breast and shoulders. This they
do under the impression that such a
dead pull is needed in order to
steady" the horse. This method of
driving | regard as radically and su-
perlatively wrong. 1t would tax the
ingenuity of hundred fools to invent
a worse one. The fact is, with rare
exceptions there should never be
any pull upon the horse at all. A
steady pressure is allowable, prob
ably advisable; but anything beyond
this has no justification in nature or
reason; for nature suggests the ut
most possible freedom of action OF
head, body, and limbs in order that
the animal may attain the highest
rate of speed; and reason certainly
forbid5 the supposition that by the
bits and not the breast collar the
horse is to draw the weight attach
ed to it. In speeding my horse !
very seldom grasp the lines with
both hands when the road is straight
and free from distractions. The
lines arerarely steadily .taunt, but held
in easy plinacy, and used chiefly to
shift the bitin the animals mouth, and
bv this motion communicate courage
and confidence to him. | find that
by this method my horses break less
and 90 much faster than when driven
by men who pat the old-fashioned
steady pull upon them From Mur,
ray's Book on he perfect Horse, "
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-02-11
0strtrch FArsnina.
Aa English settler at the

AE English settler at the Cape o
Good Hope gives this account of hi.
ostrich stock in a private letter: II
is very clear that if | don't write I,
YOU shall never get any more o.
your valuable hints, and perhaps yo'i
may be interested ia hearing some
thing Of new style Of farming that
| have lately taken to. and with sue
cess beyond my most sangnine ex-
pectations: it is ostrich farming.
have a flock. or herd, or coyey, or
whatever else you like to call it, OF
twenty-seyen they are perfectly
tame, and will follow me all over the
place; in fact, feel sure that they
were intended to be domesticated [
have only to go outside the door ani
whistle, and the whole troop comes
as fast as their legs can carry them
in hopes Of getting some maize, which
they are very fond Of They eat
almost anything, but there is. so
much round the house and in the old
lands that they scarcely require any
artificial food; but | generally give
them feed of lucerne once a day,
and they seem to relish it more than
anything else. They are plucked
first at about eight months old, and
afterward about every seven months.
The Grst feathers are not OF much
value, but nevertheless return ,wenty-
five per cent. per annum. The sec
ond plucking brings that up to eighty
per cent, and the third to about
ITO, or more. The feathers are then
prime, and the yield from each bird,
taking cock and hens together, is
about 90 o. so, The price of birds
two months old is 60, and | intend
to make up my number to forty-fve
this season, and when they are full
grown | expect to get GT50 year
for their feathers alone, without
counting increase. Wild birds are
now very scarce within the colony,
and are only to be found in numbers
far in the interior, where they are
also rapidly decreasing. This ac.
counts for the price of feathers 0l
course the demand is increasing
throughout the world, so that it will
be many years before the domestica-
ted birds make any marked difference
in the market. No stock gives so
little trouble; they thrive where a
donkey would End it hard lines to
live"
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-02-11
The Night CoTnetis.

Is itpossible to do too much work
for Jesus Is there any danger that
Christians win overtask themselves
in the service of their Master !
Ought we to impose any restraint
upon ourselves when the Lord calls,
lest in our zeal to follow him we over
step the limits OF the strength he has
given usl
We do not believe that one Chris
tian worker in a hundred breaks
down from excess Of work for Christ.
Work poorly systemized, work per-
formed in a needlessly clamsy man,
ner. work worried over, done in a
self-su1icient, vain-glorious spirit
without patience, without faith,
without prayer, without consccra-
tion. this NAV well break down the
health and destroy the usefulness %
any man. But the Master does not
say, Restrain you zeal, for well be
knows that none Of us have too
much. But he would have US feel
that his special blessing and protec-
ton is given to those who arc earn
est in labor, that selfsacrihce i. the
law Of Christian living. and that to
work while the day lasts, doing all
with ones might, should be the bur
den of every Christian soul. For
the night cometh when no man can
work
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-02-11

There is most ingenious Marshal
in Flushing, l.. l., gentleman who
is remarkable for the success of his
little game on people. Just before
New Years little girl gave him 81.
to get pair of gloves in New York
for present. The flushing Marshall
got the glove. for 81 25, told the lit
tie girl they cost 81 IS, gave her a
quarter change, put the half dollar in
his pocket, and nearly chuckled him.
self into case of genuine apoplexy
oyer the success of his operation
New Years morning his wife presen-
ted him with a pair Of gloves and ex-
planned how she has secretly arran-
ged for their purchase with a little
girl. The Flushing Marshal put the
gloves in his pocket, smiled lightly,
and narrowly escaped fainting away.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-02-11


shall undergo an Imprisonment IN the
penitentiary for not more than TWO
wears and pay hne not more t%han %
one thousand dollars for every sucn
oFsuse. or either or both, at the us
cretion of the court.
FORMS roR ELECTION BLANAs'
Soc % II shall be the duty o. o.
~ Sa.-o,srv of the Commonwsaitn
to prepare forms for all the e'"nisb o,aaNo
rns5e n.ssarv by this act, ana iurn'su -.
un;o. u,nS of the same to the county
oOpmissioners of the several counties
oftbe commonwealth; AID the county NJ,
commissioners Of each county sNan'
..aon as NAV be necessary alter re-
a.;nI Of the same, at the proper o e1-
nense Of the county, procure anu ~. .ho
p;.h TO all the election oihcers =, ,.;,. ~.
nien,;o, nisn districts of their respec''!s
eonrti., copies of such blanks, "a
such quantities as may Oe re9u F .hsir
necessary for the discharge oi INC. nx
S,,;os under this act, and shall pay
III LIE necessary expenses for lights, rent,
fue! and stationary on o'iiS ''A''
hx he election officers.
sprc1AL AND MUNICIPAL ELEcrloNs,
src %. Special elections, ana
al elections for city, ward porors 'Ysr
and township officers, lot 1ia,.d ru
terms Of service, shall pe les ; @.n
and conducted in like manner ~ s1s
eral elections and by the same On i
c.rs who shall perform the same du-
,;as @ and he subject to the same penal
,;ss ,es ss are provided for general cleo
lions unless otherwise proViueu iO'
SEC "a All the duties imposed
l., this act upon county commission
eTs shall be performed in the city OF
Philadelphia by the city COMMISSION
ers.
nrsposIrIoN OF FINES AND PENALTIES.
Sec. 25. All funds arising from
fines imposed or collected In pursa,
ance of the foregoing sections shall
be applied to the common schools o'
the county IN which said hnes may
have been collected, and to be appor-
toned among the several schools dis-
tricts according 10 the population
thereof. 80
Sec. 26. All acts or parts oil aG's
Inconsistent with this act be and the
same are hereby repealed.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-02-11
straw I'm January

A dispatch from Crisfeld Nd
to the Wilmington Commercial
saws:
There is a peculiar condition OF
vegetation growing out of remarka-
bic mild weather, which | have not
seen noticed in any of the papers,
the like of which, | venture to assert,
is not remembered by the very old
est inhabitant.
"In this immediate vicinity, and
also in the vicinity ofMarion Station
seven miles north ofthis, the straw,
berries have bloomed and fruited.
A gentleman informed me that be
gathered. few days ago, tea-cup
full of well grown berries, some fully
ripe, in his field, and others tell the
same story. This for region north
and east of the Chesapeake is, to-say
the least, worth recording in the
Commercial, where it will remain in
some welI-preserved files for succeed
in. generations as a curious item"
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-02-11
Farming "a . ss"ntaEe.

! have la..ii two kinds of indus.
tri ,us f.r-Iers. | do not include the
slnsp;sn and negligent. But of the
re,i bard wokers there arc two dis,
lsnnct classes. They both rise with
dawn and work after dark, aud are
worthy of success; but one class fails
for want ofproper thought and man
agcment. These will put their ener.
gies into one piece of work and ne.
glect other things which need them
more. knew one man who was SO
intent or finishing a piece of board
fence, that he worked hard at it at the
very time that the weeds in his root
crob grew from one inch high to ten
inches, increasing the labor ofclean-
ing out at least tenfold, aud reducing
his crop about one half. Another
buys costly tools and lets them rust
and rot in the fields because he is so
busy with something else, although
the labor of houseing would be mere
nothing. Another builps a costly
barn, and uses up his means for
manuring, cultivating and draining,
when cheaper things would have ans
wered Another works a wet field
year after year at great cost and in
convenience, and with small results,
because he is too busy to underdrain
it. He does everything at a disad-
vantage Very different is the course
Of the good manager He looks at
all his work-has it mapped out be-
fore him estimates accurately the
labor to accomplish each job, and the
time when It should be done to pre-
vent loss, and then goes on systemat-
ically. 1t does not require great
genius to do this, but common sense,
and for the farmer to keep his wits
about him. This is what makes q
man practical and successful
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-02-11
Sound Ideas Of Farming.

The following riows of farming Sc
entirel V cover the ground Of success
fIl culture that we give them place
for the benefit Of our readers:
!. That the area under cultiya'
ton should be within the limits Of the
capital employed, or in other words,
that on the impoverished soils nc
one should cultivate more land than
he can enrich with manures and fer
tilizers, be it one acre or twenty.
2. There should be a law compel
ling every man to prevent his stock
from depredating on his neighbor's
fields.
That green soiling is more eco
somical than loose pasturage.
The deep tillage is essential to
good farming.
5 That the muck heap is the farm
er's hank. and that everything should
be added that will enlarge it, and in
crease at the same tine its fcrtilizing
properties.
G. That no farmer or planter
should depend upon one staple alone,
but should seek to secure himself
against serious loss in bad season by
diversity of products.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-02-11

The news of the nomination of
Judge Wait. was received in the
Ohio Constitutienal Convention, ovel
which he was presiding, with pro-
longed outbreak of applause, In
which the delegates, representing
both parties, joined heartily and unan-
imously. a motion to draft a resolu,
ton expressive of the Convention.
appreciation of the appointment was
offered, but Judge Waite ruled it out
Of order. The incident speaks wei
for the nominee, and shows that be
is both respected and liked where be
is best known.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-02-11
Stretch Of Privilege.

Daughter Gftbc house ttoprlvieged
old friend of the family:) Dear Mr..
Lupus, yourself should like to
have you waltz this once with me" "
Privileged Old Friend-"My dear
child, don't dance; but, if it suits
you, | wonldn't mind sitting here
with my arm around your waist,
while the others are making them
selves dizZy.r
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-02-11

When think of the bnmmers that
left Boston in lS49 TO find their for
tunes in California, and then hear Bret
Hartc call 'em Argonauts, " said gen.
tleman after the lecture, Unjust award
to Bret the credit of refining whatever
he teches."
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-02-11

Boswell once asked johnson il
there was no possible circumstance
under which suicide would be justi-
fable. No. said johnson. "Well, y
said Boswell, suppose man had
been guilty of fraud, and that he
was certain to be found cut" Why
then" was the reply, "In that case
let him 60 to some country where be
is not known, aud not to the devil
where be is known.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-02-11

Il am weary Of life-bury me deer
on the hillside" wrote young man in
Dubuque; but they pumped him out
and that same night be went 10 the
circus and laughed till he cried at the
antics of the trick mules.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-02-11

In Butler county recently, young
man who had 'courtedn TO late
hour, after the girls father had told
his daughter that she mnst never sit
up later than ten o'clock, discovered,
as he was leaving the house, that the
old mans barn had been fred by an
incendiary. He succeeded in eX-
tinguishing the flames with little or
no loss. And now the natural in
ference would be that the owner of
the barn would invite that young
man to sit up with bis daughter un-
til late hour every night to guard
against renewal of the ineendiary
attempt But be didn't. On the
contrary, be accused his daughters
lover of setting FIRE to his barn, and
supplemented his remarks with a
warning that if he came fooling
around his Marin any more be would
break his back. The disconsolate
lover says mans inhumanity to man
makes countless thousands mourn
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-02-11

A farmer reading a joafnai to hi.
wife in which was the sentence
The President was received with
three buzzas," pronounced the lasl
word "hussies." More shame fol
him." exclaimed the indignant and
scandalized lady.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-02-11
Number Seven in the Bible.

On the seventh day God ended his
work,
On the seventh month Noah's arb
touched the ground.
In seven DAYS dove was sent.
.Abrham plead seven times for
Sodom.
Jacob incurred seven days for
Joseph.
Jacob served seven years for
Rachel.
And yet another seven years more.
Jacob was pursuid seven days
journey by Laban.
A plenty Of seven years and a
famine of seven years were foretold
in Pharoah's dream by seven fat and
seven lean beasts and seven ears OF
blasting corn
On tbc seventh day of the seventh
month, the Children of Israel rested
seven days, and remained seven days
in their tents
Every seven days the land rested.
Every seven years the law was
read TO the people.
In the destruction OF Jericho seven
persons bore seven trumpets seven
da, 5; on the seventh day they sur
rounded the walls seven times, and
at the end of the seventh round the
walls fell.
solomon was seven years building
the temple, and tasted seven days at
its dedication.
ln the tabernacle were seven lamps.
The golden candle-stick had seven
branches.
Naaman washed seven times in the
river Jordan.
Jobs friends sat with him seven
days and seven nights, and offered
seven bullocks and seven rams for an
atonement
Our Savior spoke seven times from
the cross on Winch he hung seven
hours, and after his resurrection ap-
peared seven times.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-02-11

Closed in consequence of debt
in the family" is the communicative
announcement on the door Of fugi-
tive tradesman in a neighboring city.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-02-11

The body OFFS unknown man, ap-
paTently sixty-fve years of age,
was fonnd in an old building, abost
a mile from Cresson, on Tuesday stiff
and cold 10 death. The toes of both
feet and the fourth finger Of his right
hand had been amputated. and be
had but one eye-the left. No marks
of violence were discovered; but an
empty wbiskey flask found by his
side gives clue to the cause OF his
death.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-02-11

To THE CITIZENS OF PENNSYLVANIA
Your attention 10 specially invited 10 the fact
that the National Banks are now prepared to r.
celvc subscriptions to The Capital SSssk of tha
Centennial Board Of Finance. The finds rssl,ed
from ths source 10 DO employed In the erection
OF the buildings for the International Exhibition,
and the expsnses connected with the sane. II is
confidently believed that the Keystone Staio will
be represented by the name OF every oitizsD alive
TO ps triotic connem0ratiOa Of the one hundredth
birth day OF tho nation. The shares Of stock arc
offered for SO each, and subscribers will receive
handsomely steel engraved Certificate OF Stosk
suitable for framing and preservation as national
metlo-;al
Interest at the rate OF six per cent per annum
will be paid On all payments of Centennial Stock
from dnts Of payment 10 January !, 1876.
Subscribers who are not near . National Bank
can remit check pOstO.Fice order 20 the under
signed.
FRED. FRAIRY. Tlensrrnr
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-02-11

A country pedagogue in Henry
county requested all OF his scholar:
to write piece under the penalty
of a thrashing. \ rising genius got
Off the following:
Lord OF love
Look down FROM above
On US poor scholars;
We have hired a fool
To teach our school,
And pay him hily dollars"