davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
, 1874-01-20

Tho annual report Of the Luke shoto l. Allcha-
gan Southern Railroad for tho yoar 1873 cou-
tans the following Interesting fac!s and atatis-
tics:
STOCK AND pgnrs.
CAPITAL Stock ~ per charer OK, ,G00. 90
Amount OF Hock subscribed. 90 DuO 90
Total amount now paid In Of capital stock sUu0o oooo
+Total aoslmt now Of funded debt 2oos5, ,ooooo
Floasing debit AZ by last report. 3,y03.47o.49
Tic amount now Of hoating leh......,. 4,754l0y70
Total amount now Of funded ind 1loatiug
Ayorago sate per annam, Of interest on
funded deut. ......,...................7 per ceut.
'These amounts do not include the debt Of tue two
roads wholly owned by the Lako Shore L Michigan
southcrn Railway Company, to Wit Detroit, alo,roo
Ioleto eo hairoad. ad so14,ooo Kalamazoo White
COST OF HoAp AND EQUIPMENT.
Graduation and nlaHonry, bridges. snper-
structure. including iron passenger and
freigh: stations, buildings, and a1tures;
engine aud cur houses nlschine-shops,
macatae!y anu fixtures, land, land-lan-
Locomotives aud iitres and snow.riows.
pas"crger and baggaHe Cars, freight, and
other car8.. 19,o3e,222
Total cost Of road md equipment -. a75, ,o2o
This road III consolidation Of several ii uerent COM
pauics III six satca-New York, Pouusylvania, Ohio,
panics outside of Nov York Ind kupt their CON con
sruclo1,- III detail hence only tho aggregate Of
construction and equipment can he gwen.
CHARACTERISTICS OF ROAD.
Length Of road, sniles. ...:............ 640
Length Of roau in tls Htatc, miles,. 69H
Length Of road aI,l, ,ailce. lce................. 540
Length Of reaa la!'l IN the State mics. G915
Length Of double track, including s,dinps,
Lensl Of branches owned by tho Company ''
WILT taa hes ot rsii pec yari on sn Track S''
Numba1 Of eng!ne-ho,,ses and shops.......... ~ 20
NuElneF OIL engines. nv
frntri
, 1874-01-20

The annual report Of the Luke Shoto l. Mlola-
gan Southern Nailroad for tho year 1873 cou-
tains the following Interesting fac!a and atatis-
tics:
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-09-30

we start the cider mill for the supply
of the vinegar cellar.
Beware of all DOstrums in the man
ufacture Of vinegar. The simple, I'M
aduIteraled juice of ripe apples-if
small and knotty, DO matter-makes
the best favored vinegar Brown
sugar, molasses, mustard seeds and
all flavorings and indications are a
damage. Some recommend adding
the .'mother of vinegar from some
old vinegar barrel. This mother" is
fungus growth on old vinegar, and
will doubtless hasten the aeetous fer
mentation in cider, as it contains with
in itself the seeds of decay, but it is
very apt to contain also bad flavors
and too much corruption Putting
mother" with new cider is too much
Ike bringing up little child to asso-
ciate and sleep with its aged and in
firm grandmother. The child grows
old fast enough without such an un-
natural eatalytic influence.
If any one has old cider iE his eel
lar which be wishes to double in val
ue, now is the time to put it out into
the sunshine. 1t will make" twice
as fast in the warm out door air as 1t
does in the cellar.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-09-30
The Crackers of E,orida

The Crackers are a class by them
selves, and, to a considerable extent
are governed by their own well un
derstood but unwritten laws 10
some extent they resemble the patrl'
archs Of old, inasmuch as their prop
erty consists mainly in their stock,
and no country has any attractions
for them which does not afford q
good range for their cattle. They
squat down in the pine woods
without stopping to enquire whether
the land belongs to the general gov
ernment. the State, or to individuals,
and erect q log cabin which Is not
more than a pen made OF pine poles
an5 matched together at the corners
and covered with unshaven shingles
from the pine tree. A few acres are
fenced in for a pen, or yard 70 en-
close their cattle which are herded at
night in the summer and allow to
roam through the woOds during the
dav and to secure their return to the
men the calves are retained in the en-
closure The trees in the enclosure
have been girdled, and when the land
has been sufficiently enriched by the
droppings of the cattle, another pen
is fenced in and the first plantee IN
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-09-30
A King OF Trees.

In the great forest, near Cape Coast
Castle, Africa, the silk-cotton, like q
king of trees, towers over all others.
1t is truly most wonderful tree. II
grows faster than any other, for the
wood is soft. 1t must be one osthe
largest trees in the world. There is
most wonderful provision Of nature
shown in this in compensating it for
the softness of its wood, which from
its immense size, could not support
the weight of the branches and tow
ering top. Rising far above the other
giants, therefore deriving no shelter
from them, each one stands for a
greater part Of its height seperate
tree, and exposed to the full force of
the constant tornadoes which sweep
over this part Of the country during
the rains. The necessary support is
given to it by number of large but
tresses all around the stems they
are formed by roots which rise over
the ground in fattened shape ex-
tending up the sides of the trees, and
forming most regular support all
around. In many places the natives
make use of the spaces between the
buttreees as houses; merely making
q roof overhead, the house is COM
plete. As the people of this country
never have more than three walls to
their houses, and the tree with two of
its buttresses supplies those, they are
quite ready made houses for them,
and indestructable. While the tree
is young all the bark is covered with
very large strong thorns.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-09-30
A widows witness.

It was told of old that .he cackle of
q goose once saved Rome. 1t is now
related that swallow won q suit in
court away down in Texas. a poor
widow and her daughter had suit
for damages before court in Hous-
ton. The counsel for the plaintiff In
troduced into his pleading the fable
of the swallow that built her nest and
reared her young under the caves OF
the temple of justice. The lawyer en-
larged upon the swallows trust in
the protection of her home the place
offorded, and very aptly made the ap-
plication to the case before the court.
When the counsel was about finish
ing his illustration swallow actually
few into the room and alighted upon
the judges desk. 1t then hoped
away and found rest for the sole ofits
foot on the railing of the jury-box. In
its circuit of the court room it halted
awhile on pile of law books, then
hovered a moment over the heads of
plaintiffs. and few out of the window
and away. The counsel concluded
by saying: Behold the witness, F"
and as the witness could not net be
called back by the opposing coansel,
the case was given to tae jury pretty
much as the swallow left it. The
jury could not ignore the birds evil
dence, and gave q verdict for the
widow. The story is little birdy,
but not in the least 6shy. If it was
q preconcerted plan of the lawyer, it
was very happily arranged and nice
y carried out, and deserves a place
among court reports and curious
pleadings.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-09-30
Table EsIquet.

See that those about you are help
ed before you commence eating you
self.
Do not eat soup from the tip, but
the side of spoon.
On passing your plate to be replen
ished, retain the knife and fork
Wipe the mouth before drinking.
Remove the teaspoon from the cup
before drinking tea or coffee.
Use the knife only in cutting the
food; do not raise it to the mouth.
Eat slowly, as eating rapidly is un.
healthy.
If you End anything unpleasant in
your food avoid calling the attention
of others to it.
Close. 1.-THE lips when chewing your
food.
Keep your elbows of the table al
ways.
Do not speak with food in the
mouth.
When asked to help your nieghbor
do not shove but hand the plate to
him.
Do not turn your head and stare
about the room.
If anyone at the table makes 0
mistake, take the least possible no
tice of it.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-09-30
An UnIress 'sedainS.


By strange perversioR Of legal
principles, it was supposed by our
ancestors that whatsoever married a
widow who was Administrative upon
the estate Of her deceased husband,
represented insolvent and should
thereby possess himself Of any prop
erty or thing purchased By the de-
ceased husband, would become an ex-
ecutOr de son tort, and would thereby
make himself liable for the goods Of
his predecessor. Major Moses JOY
became enamored Of hrs. Hannah
Ward, widow Of Henry Ward, who
died in 1888, leaving an insoivent
estate of which Mrs. Ward was adj
ministratrix. To avoid the unpleas-
ant penalties Of the law, on the morn
ing Of her marriage with Major Joy,
Mrs Ward placed herself in a closet
with a tire-woman, who stripped her
Of all her clothing, and when in q per-
fectly nude state she thrust her fair.
round arm through a diamond Eole
in the door Of the closet; the gallant
major elasped the hand of the buxom
widow, and was married in due form
by the jolliest parsonin Vermont At
the close Of the ceremony the tire
woman dressed the bride in a COM
plete wardrobe, which the major had
provided and caused to be deposited
there at the commencement Of the
ceremony. She came cut elegantly
dressedin silk, satin and lace, and
there was kissing all aFOund.-MoRt-
nel.nr 4rnns.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-09-30
GEN. Custer As HE i.

A correspondent writes to the In
ter Ocean He is a great man, no.
bic man is General Custer, and one
of whom most of the world-that
part which does not know him-has
a singularly wrong idea. | came here
expecting to find a big whiskered,
swearing, ranting, drinking topper,
and | found instead a slender, quiet
gentleman, with face as fair as a
girls, and manners as gentle and
comelv as the traditional prince. IL
hunting for the drunken raider
found literary gentleman in his
library, surrounded by adjutants and
orderlies, to whom be gave his mill
tary directions while he wrote and
read. His guest for four days, |
never sat with a more courteous host,
or generous entertainer, or polished
conversationalist. With one of the
sweetest, brightest women in the
world for a wife, his home is that of
cultured gentleman instead OF a
registering cavalry man, as is gener-
ally supposed.
General Custer does not drink, not
withstanding the prevailing idea OF
his intemperanee. He believes in
and practices total abstinence. The
good temperance teachers of the day
can use him as an example rather
than an object Of regret General
Custer does not swear. In his con-
stant companionship for more than a
week, under circumstances, toe, that
have been unusually trying, | have
not heard an oath from his lips and
what is more, he does not allow pro-
family among his subordinates.
But what, some one viii ask, are
his vices His soldiers will tell you
he has none, unless an almost inor-
dinate love for the brute creation
may be called such, for General Gus.
ter has the best dogs and the best
horses he can procure within the
limits of reach. His 'slsh of hounds
is probably as large and well bred as
any in the country, and his own and
the horses of the regiment, the
Seventh Cavalry, are famous all over
the States, while he las the reputa-
ton of being the best sportsman and
the most acurate shot in the army.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-09-30
Chnnged Der lrIn,l.

The Baltimore Gazette says: eliza
Go dfrey, formerly living near Leaven-
worth, Kansas, is among the curiosi-
ties of womankind. She is an inter-
esting and not unatractiye damsel Of
sweet sixteen; and when one night
she was missing, her father setout on
a search for her which ranged over
six hundred miles Of mountaiu and
prairie. The worst Of il was that
she had eloped with her lover, one,
as the sequel proved, unfortunate Mr..
Bailey. For when her father over
took her the course Of true love had
not by any means run smooth. She
had travelled over two hundred miles
in a lumber wagon over rough roads,
and either her affection for the man
Of her choice had been taken out Of
her, or she was Of a disposition
mighty uncertain. No minister was
attainable, and when the Judge ar
rived to marry them this is how it all
ended-a nice little romance spoiled
by the cantankeTOusnesS OF one
woman:
Judge Norton was sent for and
came upon the scene. The party as
sembled, while the eager crowd filed
the doorway and windows TO Yitness
what next would transpire. Spoke
the father: Judge, this is my daugh-
ter. / wish TO give my consent to
her marriage TO this man. Then said
the Judge: Mr. Bailey, do you wish
to marry this womanY i do said
Bailey. And you, young woman,
would you have this man for your
husband ? said the Judge The
young lady looked up and replied,
We'll, Judge, 1 guess not just now"
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-09-30

sweet potatoes, which Gil the nla..
oi Dread and vegetables in the faToiv-
= ie% hogs, long nosed and sbayn
',aeNea' which live in the woods and
user snd Wild turkeys furnished he
family with meat OF eanrSe H.
haYe no schools anl no e,l,es,;o.,
even the it'nerate Methodist preach
er does not fiad them bat sin tbev
are kindly inoGeusive people wka
would share q corner Of their cabin
witsEa stranger ands give him The
best the house afforded. They cook
eat, drink and sleep in the one com
mon room-mea, women. children
and strangers, and still unehaste con-
duet or bastardy is unknown. The
cattle are pcnncd from April to An
gust, when the calves are branded
and the whole turned out TO shirk for
themselves until the next April
While being Penned enough milk Is
taken to supply the family, but when
turned out, milk is a dish unknown
70 the house. The steers arc sold for
oeei at three to four years old, and
command fEom twelve to fourteen
dollars cash; and the cows are allow
ed to live until accident or old age
terminates their existence. They
are never fed, in fact viii not eat
hay, corn or oats iflaid befoa them
/ There are different grades Of wosltl,
and standing among them as with
other people Many Of them are
very poor, while some own from
thirty to forty thousand head Of cattle.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-09-30
For wsEs That are Dark.

When q Chinese serva-t is dis
charged from a family and is about
to leave, he places his mark on the
wall of the room be has occupied, or
in some part of the premises where
the next coming servant viii see IT.
Whatever difference may have exist
ed between the employer and EN-
ployee. whatever disagreeable things,
true or imagined, that is possible to
say against the people of the house,
are duly recorded in few eabalis-
tic signs, and a housekeeper not post
ed will have o chance to wonder at
some things seen in a new servant.
A San Francisco paper tells OF a
family in that city which had con-
tinual coming and going Of Chinese
servants. They treated their help
well, the work was light and the pay
liberal, but no servant could be in
duced to make q reasonable stay in
the house. At last it was found
that refractory man who had been
discharged had left on the wall
certain uncomplimentary remarks
concerning the family, and statements
that could no be verified by facts.
The writing was at once obliterated,
and no other trouble was experienced.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-09-30
How to Make vinegar.

A correspondent, starting with the
premises that to make good vinegar
you must have good pure cider, and
see to it that the barrel into which
it is to be put is entirely free from
any taint, proceeds with the process
Of making az follows:
Cider once properly made and put
into sweet, fresh barrels, the balance
of the process in vinegar making is
no trick at all. 1t is chemical pro-
cess, to be sure, but nature will be q
good manipuls.or of it. The chemis-
try of the thing consists simply in
oxygenation Of the cider, and if the
cir is allowed free access to it the OK
ygenation will go On slowly through
the winter and more rapidly in the
summer The process may be accel-
Grated by keeping the cider in a warm
room, and made more rapid still by
triekling the cider through q hogs
head or large cylinder perforated
with holes on the side and filed with
birch shaVlngs, so as to allow the air
to come in direct contact with it. A
little yeast added to the cider gives
it good start on its fermenting
course.
Our custom is to wait the slow
process of nature, and to admit air
to the cider only through the bung
hole. In the summer we take the
barrels out Of the cellar and place
them in sunny place, mailing some
wire gauze over the bung holes to
keep out flies and straws. This mode
of making vinegar requires about II
months. Early made cider will some
times go through the vinous and ace
tous fermentati3ns the same fall, but
il forms q poor article, and we pre-
fer to wait till the latter part of Oc-
tober or the first Of November before
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-09-30
Another Mormon trouble.

A dispatch from Salt Lake, Utah,
says: In the last election the couu-
ty Of Toole went liberal by a large
majority, instead Of Mormon, this
county, in area, is larger than the
State Of Delaware, aad has q popu-
lation Of about 5000 The Morm0ns
claim that the election was obtained
by fraud, and on these grounds refuse
to give up the Offices Ito the newly
elected officers. Two hundred armed
Mormous are now surrounding the
Court honsc, and are determined to
keep possession at all hazards. Gen
Maxwell, the United States Marshal
is on the spot, and viii do everything
in his power TO get peaceable posses
sion Of the Court house and the re-
cords Of the County and Probate
Courts, but be will certainly place
these legally elected officers in their
positions, if Il takes the entire militia
~ force Of the Territory. That q
serious conflict is more than possible
cannot be denied, and as this country
comprises a large mining district, with
a small army Of miners eager for the
fray should it occur you will hear Of
lively times.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-09-30
Dartmouth Collie re students.

President Smith of Dartmouth, in
talking to the students the other day,
said, in regard to the employment OF
Dartmouth students as walters at
summer hotels, that so much is said
and written in tne abstract, nowadays,
about the dignity of labor, and so lit
tie is practiced, that it is refreshing to
notice an instance which is so COM
mon an occurrence that it attracts no
attention in the district where it oc'
ours, and is scarcely known beyond
the district. The students who act
as walters in hotels at the White
Mountains, during the summer, come
chiefly from college Dartmouth
where labor has always been held as
honorable. Sixteen from that institu-
ton having served in the Profile
House this season. They get as
regular wages twenty dollars q
month, which is sometimes trebled
by donation. when we consider,
said the President, the fact that near
ly one-third of the students OF Dart
mouth teach school during the win
ter. and work at harvesting during
sumbler. we need have no fear about
the dignity of labor becoming an OBJ
solete expression"
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-09-30

4 Saratoga correspondent says:
1t is amusing to sit en- the hotel
balconies in Saratoga and watch the
different way people have Of walking.
The sentimental young lady comes
hitching along with her dress tied
tightly around her feet This is the
brainless noddle where the dress over
comes all charaeter-wbere It gets
bigger than the woman.
/ Sometimes little happy woman
comes walking down the dining room
with her head up, heels down, and
patting her left palm with her fan
This is the walk Of happy girl
just engaged.
After studying the walks OF men
all summer | have prepared the
following infallible chart, whereby
you can tell all human character just
by noticing the walk:
/ Selfish, ,one-idea men like Gov. Nor
ton and John Randolph toe in, and
look straight ahead.
Unstable persons ike Theodore
Tilton, George Francis Train, Mrs.
Woodruff, and Gov. BeYeridge, Of
Illinois, walk SLOW and fast by turns.
Fun-loving persons ike Sam Cox,
Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe, Olive
Logan, and Oliver Wendell Holmes
teter and tilt up and down when they
walk.
Careless persons like Lincoln, Gree
ley, Zach Chandler and Susan An
thony are continually stubbing their
toes, or stepping on somebody's dress.
| Retiring persons like A. T. Stew
art and Charles O'COnor walk swift
ly and slip through q clOwd unob-
serbed Ike eels through fish rack.
Good natured persons like Sehuy-
Ter Colfax and Frank Carpenter pat
an envelope or knife on the palms of
their left hand or snap their fingers
every few steps
Strong minded people like Anna
Dickinson and Secretary Bristow toe
straight ahead, shut their mouths, and
plank the whole foot down on the
floor at once.
Wideawake people like Gen. Sher-
man, Gen Sheridan, Speaker Blaine
and Senator Logan, swing their arms
and toe out" while their hands lly
about miscellaneously.
Lazy people ike Senator Morton,
Judge Davis, Of Illinois, and Gen.
Grant slosh around loosely, first on
one side of the walk, then on the
other, while they skuf their heels
along on the ground without lifting
them up.
Managing and conniying persons
like Thurlow Weed, Gov. Fenton and
Andrew Green generally walk with
one hand clutched hold Of On enyel-
ope or stuffed into the pocket, while
their heads lean forward, indicating
subjective thought.
Timid people like Jay Gould and
Sam Tilden hesitate as they walk,
pass outside when they meet any one,
go around stone or stick instead Of
stepping on it, and step off the walk
entirely on meeting several people at
once.
Observing persons ike Wendell
Phillips, Henry Ward Beeeher, and
Josh Billings walk slowly, while their
eyes look down on the ground and on
each side, and the body frequently
turns clear around, as if the mind
was rejecting on something passed.
Careful persons like Peter Cooper,
Gen. Dix, Fernando Wood, Augustus
Schell, lift their feet high and bring
them down slowly, often touching
something with their canes or kicking
stone or stick to one side Of the
way.
The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-09-30
How 10 Make a Brick oven.


Many a house keeper longs for a
good old-fashioned brick oven, es-
pecially when there are several lOaves
of bread, and a dozen pumpkin pies
to bake at once.
A brick oven built in the old style,
out of doors, entirely separated from
the dwelling house, is more safe, so
far as danger from ere is concerned,
than if built by the side Of the fire
place in the house. A good brick
oven for baking bread, pies and cakes,
is worth all the ranges and cook
stoves that one could store in bis
kitchen. In. such an oven every
thing will be baked just right, above
and below through and through.
After a foundation has been pre-
pared, let two courses Of bricks be
laid for the bottom of the oven.
Then build the mouth and part OF
the sides, until it is desirable to be.
gin to draw the sides inward, when
sand or mellow earth may be placed
on the foundation, and the surface
smoothed off and pressed down to the
desired form Of the oven. Now let
the brick work be built over this form
ofsand; let two courses Of hard bricks
be laid over the form with the best
morter. After the last bricks have
been laid, the sand may be removed.
The bricks should be soaked for
several hours previous to being laid
so that they will not absorb the
moisture of the morter until it has
set. Such an oven will cost but a
few dollars. Many people can col
leet a sufficient nuInber OF loose
bricks and pieces around their dwell
lsngs to build a brick oven. Besides
this, any intelligent man, though on'
ly half a mechanic, can build such al
oven about as well as mason
Manufacturer and Builder.