davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1874-08-26
"h'': $50 .s.ss-'s''} NO. "a.
The ola story.

The other day young man came
into our Office and said to the editor:
Yesterday l was released from the
Eastern Penitentiary. I had two
months taken off from my time for
good behavior. l was put in for
larceny. l want to turn over a new
leaf and be an honest man. But /
find it almost impossible to find work
l have been reading your paper in
the Penitentiary, and l thought l
would call in and see if you could not
help me in regard to employment" In
reply to the question. "What work
can you do; what trade are you master
Off he answered: There is just the
trouble, never learned to do any
thing. When l was lad, l idled
away my time. And now there is
nothing that | am master of, except
cane: seat chairs. which | learned in
prison; and that business is all done
in the Penitentiary; so there is no
demand for it outside. IF / only had
trade, l could get place. A gen
tleman wanted man to-day to take
care of his garden; If I had understood
the business Of a gardener l could
have had place at good wages right
away"
We have in mind, at this moment,
another person who is struggling la
boriously and honestly to support his
family. But he is in the same condi-
tion. He has never learned any
business; he IS master of nothing, ex-
cept indeed those branches of indus
try that require no experience or ap.
premiership, and that can be picked
up at days notice, and hence that
are over stocked. He is willing, he
would be glad to learn a trade; but it
is not SO easy for man with family
on his hands to do that.
Within a few days we fell in with a
friend of about forty years of age, who
has had more than usual advantages
Of education, having graduated at
college and also abroad. He was heir
to a moderate property, which re-
lieved him, apparently, from she need
OF acquiring a profession or calling.
But in time his property melted away,
and now, when approaching middle
life, with wife and several children,
in world and in a country where all
is push and hurry, and competition,
and where the demand is made of
every man. What can you do?" he
finds himself. without any trade or
calling of which he is master, COM
PEELED to do the easiest, most rudi-
mentary, the poorest paid work. So
as the result. he is really unable by
bis utmost exertions. to support his
family in anything like comfort.
And if one turns to the other, the
fairer portion of humanity, it is the
same story. Ask the next person, be
it man or woman, who comes to sou
for charity, or for work, or for help Of
any kind, What can you do?" and
the answer will be anything" which
means, of course, nothing"
| If every person were master of
something, knew how to do something
that is useful, and that is in demand,
and if the plague spots of intemper-
ance, lewdpess. and gambling we're
dried up, nine -tenths of the poverty
would be annihilated. The poor
house and the Jail would be ITO
Let"-National Baptist.
The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1874-08-26

Senator Pratt spoke to an attentive
and intelligent audience at the City
Hall last Thursday. His speech was
like himself;-a great big, sensible
one. He made no attempt at oratory,
but spoke in rather colloquial tone,
dealing almost entirely with the fnan-
cial and national questions. He
analyzed the impracticabil;ty of the f.
nancial planks of the Derocratic
platform and showed conclusively
that it was thinly- disguised repudi-
alton scheme. He also gave his rea-
son for supporting the Civil Rights
Bill to the entire satisfaction of his
hearers, judging from the mods of ap-
proval given him. He compared the
records made by the Democratic and
Republican parties, showing up the
former in no enviable manner, closing
his speech by glowing eulogy of the
latter, declaring that its record was
the best ever made by any party in
this country. There was no misstate-
ment OF facts or abuse of opponents so
often INDUCED in by public speakers,
and we heard several Democrats who
were present, declare it one of the
very best speeches they ever listened
to.-Winchester Journal, Aug. 10.
The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1874-08-26

Two incidents connected with the
steamboat catastrophe at Aurora, give
one a vivid idea of the horrors OF such
a scene. One passenger says the last
living person seen on the burning
boat was little child about four
yetrs old. Deserted and alone, he ran
to and fro across the narrow deck,
screaming with fright and pair, till
the hungry flames surrounded him
and he was seen no more. Another
passenger, who foated two or three
miles down the river on plank, says
that at one point mattress foated
past him with a babe upon it, appa-
rently two or three years old. The
child was crying. By the side of the
mattress, holding to it, swan a man
evidently nearly exhausted, only his
head being visible. A few minutes
later the swimmer disappeared and
the little one floated out of sight on
it's precarious raft. is not known
whether the child was saved. of
The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1874-08-26

A one legged Mormon recently
applied to Brigham Young to re
store his missing limb by miracle.
Brigham informed the man that he
could easily do it, but inasmuch as
the new leg would be of divine
origin, as well as the one he had
lost, he would find himself in the
next world under the disagreeable
necessity of walking on three legs
On reflection the man concluded
not to press the matter, and went
away more than ever impressed
with Brigham's supernatural wis
dom. F
The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1874-08-26

The grasshoppers in tie west throw
into the shade the stories about the
punishment inflicted on Egypt several
years ago. We are told that they
''lit down" in Kansas City the other
day covering the ground ankle deep.
Walking in grasshoppers creates a
very curious sensation as if the earth
were giving away under ones feet.
They cover thousands of acres of corn
at once and in four hours leave the
stalks as dead as at mid. winter after
cattle have eaten the blades. The
only thing they don't eat is sorghum
and this is a great credit to the grass
hoppers. They have better taste
than many humans.
The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1874-08-26
Last March a man named Emory

Last March man named Emory
Prattle, machinist i'll the employ
of the Michigan Car Company,
made bet with another man as to
which could longer hold out the
handles of an electric battery which
travelling nuisance had on the
Campus Martius, Prattle won the
bet, but at heavy cost. His sys-
tenn received such shock that up
to this time he has not been able to
work. His physician cannot say
that he will ever be restored to his
former health.
The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1874-08-26

"And when in alter days." said a
learned counsel in the court room,
I'VE meet together around the social
hearth, where l shall no longer be
oppressed by the heat and burden of
the day, and you, gentlemen, will find
yourselves in other scenes than this,
at rest from arduous labors, then,
as we talk together of by-gone times,
may you be able to say that the first
thing you did on returning to the
jury room was to unanimously agree
that you could place no reliance what
ever upon the testimony Of that man
Smith"
The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1874-08-26

An Irishman found a government
blanket recently, and rolling it up
put it under his arm and walked
of, saying: ''Yis, that's moine-
U for Patrick, and S for McC cCarty;
be me soul, but this larnin' is u
foine thing, as me fayther would
say; for if I hadn't an education I
wouldn't have been after findin' mo
blanket. ."-Danbury News.
The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1874-08-26

/ knew a fellow once, Bill Smith; he
was the worst old beat you ever saw.
He'd chase a mosquito eight miles
with pair of lemon squeezers if he
thought he could get one cent for the
oil. He got married on tick, and has
slept on tick ever since. He was SO
mean that once when he had cent
in his pocket, to keep his wife from
getting it, he made his Oldest son
swallow it. and that boy was a copper
head all through the war Bill was
going down the Mississippi on steam
boat. When the collection was be-
ing taken up, he got out on the guard
to hide. and fell overheard. The
water was hundred feet deep and
two miles wide, and the best water to
drown man you ever saw. Bill
couldn't swim stroke; but, stranger,
he got OUT -,
He just took and walked straight
ashore"
"How could he walk ashore in wa
ter 100 feet deep?'
Stranger, do you want to know
very bad?'
"Yes, l do, real bad
Waal, stranger; that Bill Smith
was such big sponge he just soaked
all the water up, and then walked
right ashore" :"
The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1874-08-26

The "office must seek the man is
a cardinal principle of the indepen-
dents. Look at the ticket in this
county and see how it works. The
only two persons who did not seek
the Office for which they were nomi-
mated, we're Brest and Kelly, aud
they refused to serve, both claiming
themselves to be Republicans, and
opposed to the manner in which the
late independent convention was
hatched up.--Northern Indianian.
The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1874-08-26

The Northwestern Indiana Confer
ence of the Methodist Episcopal
Church will convene at Lafayette on
the 9th Of September. Bishop Wiley
will preside.
The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1874-08-26

There were received in Philadel-
phia, the 18th inst, from New York,
six giraffes, recently arrived from Af-
RIGA, for that city. They were con-
veyed all the way by water. Notwith-
standing the tiresome journey which
they had undergone, they appeared
quite active and frisky, requiring the
services OF fifteen men to keen them
under control. They were led direct
to the Geological Garden, where they
will be placed on exhibition. The
giraffes are valued at s.. 600, and we're
captured in the interior of Africa.
The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1874-08-26

The South Bend Tribune says that
the closing Of the pretty waiter girls"
saloons in Chicago will have the effect
to stop emigration from South Bend
to Chicago.
The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1874-08-26

&Poor harvests are the curse of the
farmer. A man in Pike county had so
much grain to take care of that he for
got a twenty acre lot Of excellent tim.
othy.
The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1874-08-26

Nos. 1. 2, and run Daily to and from
CT ncinnati. All other Trains Daily except
ID w. L. O'BRIEN,
Gent Passenger and Ticket Agent.
Los Angeles daily herald., 1874-07-16

the earth. This history, written by
the infallible hand of God, is the
noblest to which we can devote our
attention. 1t is written by the fiery
finger of the volcano ard imbedded in
the solid rock; it is everywhere to be
found, if only we can read It's import.
1t is a practical study, and taken in
that sense it will pay in dollars and
cents. The farmer whose plowshare
turns the soil can learn of it with pro-
fit. By it he will be able to judge of
the capacities of bis soil and in what
respects it may be wanting and how
the defect can be remedied. Every
farmer can tell how long and how wide
his farm is, but few can tell its thick
ness. He not only owns hesurface,
but its depth to eight thousand feet.
Many man goes poor all his life,
when upon his own land within thirty
feet of his nose there is wealth enough
to make him richer than anybody
whom he knows. But geology is much
more valuable in its higher and nobler
sense. Especially is it important to
the theologian; he can learn what God
is doing by learning what he has done
in the formation of our earth. The
study of nature will in no way deteri-
crate from all there is of true religion
and goodness and nobility.
The Professor then took up the sub
ject of the formation of the earth
through the action of water and fire,
which he treated in a very full and
exhaustive manner. He gave beau
tiful description OF the eruption of
Vesuvius and the destruction of Pom
peii and Herculaneum. Many other
examples found in history were cited
in proof of the theory that the center
of the earth is molten mass. In
speaking of California he said that in
many parts of the State the entire
surface of the country is made up of
lava of volcanic origin. There are
numberless old and inactive volcanoes
in the State, and it is his opinion that
at some day these volcanoes will again
become active, producing earthquakes
and eruptions similar to those which
formerly occurred. The lecture was
intensely interesting throughout, and
abcunded in beautiful illustrations
and pointed facts. The discourse was
fully ineligible to all present, being
couched in plain kings English,
without the scientific verbage which
proves so confounding to many in or
dinary scientific lectures. Tonight
the second lecture of the course will be
delivered, and we bespeak for Prof.
Denton q crowded house,
Los Angeles daily herald., 1874-07-16
Chamber of Commerce.

The Chamber of Commerce met last
night, in the Directors room of tt Q
Farmers and Merchants Bank. Pres
ent; President Lazard and Messrs.
Downey, Widney, Newmark, Griffin
and Lips.
A petition was presented asking for
daily mail from Salinas City to Los
Angeles, with request that the
Chamber of Commerce indorse it.
On motion, the President was au-
thoriz.d to in lorse the same,
Governor Downey placed the apart
ment of the Bank occupied at the dis
pOsal of the Chamber, and extended
an invitation to them to make it their
permanent place of meeting.
On motion Mr.. Lips was requested
t. act as secretary pro tenn. in the abb
sence of Mr.. Lord.
Mr.. Newmark, from the committee
to whom was referred the subject of
Local Option, reported the following
resolutions.
Resotved, That in the opinion of the
Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce
the Act of the last Legislature of this
State, comforting upon the voters of
townships the right to determine
whether license to sell liquors shall be
granted or withheld, is dangerous to
American liberty and subversive of
the rights of the people as guaranteed
by both our State and Federal Consti-
tutiOnS.
Resotued, That should the Legisla-
ture have the constitutional right to
refer this question back to the people,
it would have the same power to con-
fer upon them the right to virtually
make any other laws, and this might
be so abused and carried to excess as to
seriously impair those sacred guaran-
tees of life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness which were the very essence
and foundation of our government.
Resolved, That as a question of
commerce, the passage of the law re-
ferred to would necessarily be produc-
tive of irreparable injury, for it would
to a great extent check the develop
ment of our wine interests, one of the
most important industries of our State;
and although in this view the question
of Local Option would most properly
come before this body, still this Cham
people upon the higher grounds en-
braced in the preceding resolutions,
hoping that these views may receive
such an Endorsement of the people of
the whole State as will have the effect
of frowning down such pernicious leg
islatiOn in future.
Resolved, That the press of this
State are respectfully requested to
publish the foregoing resolutions.
The adoption of the resolutions be-
ing moved and seconded, Judge Wild
ney opposed them in spirited speech.
He claimed that the Chamber was or
ganized for the purpose of furthering
the commercial interests of Los Ange-
les county-not to pass upon questions
of law or politics.
Gov, Downey favored the adoption
of the resolutions.
Judge Widney replied and withdrew
his second to the motion, which he
had made simply to bring the matter
before the house.
The question being put, the motion
Los Angeles daily herald., 1874-07-16
TRIP TO SAN FERNANDO.
The Valley and New City.

San Fernando valley is about forty
miles long and fifteen wide. The first
class land of which the valley consists
cannot be said to embrace more than
about thirty miles of the upper por-
ton, as the lower portion is consider
ably washed and covered with gravel
and a growth Of sage brush. The val
ley is quite regular in its outline and
is completely surrounded by a uniform
and regularly shaped chain of noun
tains, with, the exception of the outlet
of the Los Angeles river at the lower
end, through which it makes its way
down to this city. It has little chain
or cluster of hills in The northeastern
side, and few other undulations, and
with these exceptions it is almost per-
fectIy level Thus situated-so COM
pletely walled in-the scenery is hardly
surpassed by any of the charming val
leys with which our Golden State
abounds. From almost every portion
of the valley the Coast inc Stage road
may be seen winding down San Fer
nandO mountain in the northwestern
end of the valley, while the Telegraph
Stage Line enters through the San
Fernando Pass, narrow canon in the
northeastern side, Some portions of
the valley are covered with beautiful
parks of evergreen oaks, and the thou
sand little mountain peaks set in the.
surrounding chain which walls in this
clx,x fntIl 1.lxy
to be found. A little east from the
center of the valley stands the grand
old San Fernando Mission Rey (such
was it original name), now known as
San Fernando Mission, the largest and
grandest of all the missions of Califor-
MIA, with one exception: that of San
Luis Rey. The main Mission building
of this latter contained five halls over
| one hundred feet in length.
We have had the pleasure Of visit
ing or seeing nineteen of the twenty
one old Missions of this State, and we
have never been so much interested as
in our visit to San Fernando Mission.
Through the courtesy of Senator
Maclay, I'VE spent the night at the Mis-
sion, and the evening with Don An
dreas Pico, brother of Don Pho Pico,
who was General. commanding the
army at the time Don Pho was Gov
ernor, when Gen. Fremont took the
State. From him we learned many
interesting facts relative to the Mission
and the operations of the old Padres
nearly one hundred years ago.
The old church, with the statuary,
bells, etc.; the old olive oil mill, and
ancient relies of their extensive oper-
ations are objects of deep interest, es-
pecially the old records which We had
the pleasure of examining. The
grounds covered by the buildings and
gardens walled in, embrace seventy
three acres. The church and main
building, covered by connected roof
cover four acres. This Mission was
( founded the sth of September, 1897,
Los Angeles daily herald., 1874-07-16

and was twelve years in building; five
thousand Indians were employed in
its construction. The timbers were
brought from the other side of the
mountains by the Indians. The
wealth of this Mission at one time was
immense. The Padres at one time
owned 10000 sheep, 5000 hogs, and
worked 600 yoke of oxen, having the
whole valley, nearly, under cultivation.
Here now stands the stately old palm
trees, eight or nine feet in circumfer-
ence, and here are olive trees seven or
eight feet in circumference. Here are
now standing almost every variety of
trees that California ever produced.
Richer soil can hardly be found than
in this section. Fourteen hundred
acres of grain, in one body, have been
raised adjoining the Mission this sea-
son, yielding largely. To show the
warmth of this valley, and the rapid
ity with which crops mature, we will
state that roasting ears are now, the
middle of July, being gathered from
corn planted on land from which
good crop of barley hay was cut in the
Spring. The rapidity of the growth of
crops all over this valley, so sheltered
rs it is, is marvellous. We traversed
carefully nearly all the eastern portion
of the valley, taking observations of
the soil, the lay of the land, its adapt
ability, and especially the water sup
ply, particularly that portion within
the purchase of Senator Maclay. The
climate, as indicated by what we have
said, is all that can be desired, some
what warmer in the Summer than
this city, with no frosts in Winter to
do any harm. Fruits do remarkably
well, as far as they have been tested,
and certainly those now growing at
the San Fernando Mission are test
of the superiority of this locality, we
think, for all kinds of semi.tropical
fruits, some of the most delicate of
which are great success, viz; the
pomegranate, etc. The palm tree here
has greater growth than we have
seen elsewhere in Southern California.
The soil of all this section is a hard
sandy soil, of reddish cast, with con-
siderable gravel, especially near the
border of the valley. 1t does not bake
at all, and we di not see a crack half
an inch wide in the valley. We pro-
nounce it first-class grape land; in
fact, we believe it to be the very best
large grape tract in the State.
More of San Fernando tomorrow.
Los Angeles daily herald., 1874-07-16
LETTER FROM COMPTON.
what a Granger Thinks About Those
MOttOcs-Uniust Assessments-1h
Grangers' Candidates for Onice,
Honest Men.

EDITOR HERALD: Since my last
several important items have trans
pired, of which 1 propose to speak.
First, was the celebration Of the "glo-
rious Fourth in Los Angeles city,
which was done in q manner worthy
the occasion; but the most important
feature oft to the mind ofyour humble
pondent was the Granger por-
ton of the procession" which, under
the able supervision of the Grand
Marshal, Captain s., made very
imposing appearance. The only OBJ
jections that I have heard of were
brought by the Erening Express to
some of the m OF toes written upon the
car in which the ladies rode, some of
which were as follows: "We now
number 100000" Honest men to
fill our Offices" etc. Now, Mr.. Editor
what objection can the Eapress or
anybody else have to such notices,
gotten up by "honest Grangers ?"
admit it would be something very
strange if we had honest men to fiji
all our offices; but is that any reason
we should not desire such boon? Let
me say right here that it is q part
of the mission of the Grange,
and we intend, "by the grace
of God" and Granger votes, to bring
about just such results, and we call
upon all honest laboring men, who
have the good of the country at heart,
to come to the rescue.
Another item of no small impor-
tance can be witnessed by looking in
upon the Board of Supervisors, where
can be seen those hard-handed. sun
burned Grangers," standing around,
pleading for and demanding an equal
assessment of property. We do not
object that our property is assessed
too high, but we do object to large
grants of land being assessed at less
than one-fourth their value. We feel
that we have been grievously imposed
upon, and now, sir, we have sworn by
the "Grangers God " that we will
tacitly submit no longer. Let me
again say that we demand nothing
unreasonable; we only ask for justice
and equity. The Grange County
Committee found large tracts of graz
ing land assessed at twenty-five to
seventy-five cents per acre, and some
as fine land as "ever crow tapped
his wing over" assessed at two and q
half to eight dollars per acre, when
the small farmers are assessed at from
ten to thirty dollars to the acre. Is that
justice? No, sir. Justice in thunder
tones answers, No! We gladly well
come enterprise and capital to our
fair land, but we do not want capital
to shirk duty and oppress the poor.
More anon, GRANGER.
Compton, Los Angeles county, Cal,
July Is, 1874.