davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1875-02-19
The Man Who Had Been to Cali
fOrnia.

The three-earders, generally speaking,
are excellent judges of character, and
are seldom mistaken in their man.
Sometimes, however, their judgment is
at fault and the apparent hy they entice
into their parlor proves TO be a tarantula.
The other day, at Battle Mountain, they
gulled Ga erman from the East, who ex-
hibited a large roll of greenbacks on the
platform, into the spiders nest. The
"dunken man" was on a big spree when
the expected victim entered, and was
losing money on every bet. The Ger
man declined to bet, and to get him in
the notion one of the cappers gave him
a $50 piece on which to try his luck.
He placed it on a card and won. Pock-
citing the $40 he refused to bet again
and walked out of the house, followed
by the cappers, who insisted on getting
the money back. The German drew a
large sized revolver from his pocket, and
assuming a defiant attitude said: "You
speak to me, put you so tam full Of
holes you don't know what you am.
You take me for an emigrant, you make
fools nit yourselves" The three-card
players discovered that they had caught
a tartar as they saw their would-be vic
tim board the train as the conductor
shouted call aboard" and leave them
lamenting.- Sacramento Union.
The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1875-02-19
The ChIIdIike Lo in the Lobby.

An Indian, who had recently come
forth from the forest to join the lobby
lists of the Maine Legislature, thus ap-
pealed to Senator the other day:
Senator, you report bill no kiIlum
moose for five years?"
YES" replied the Senator.
"You report bill no killum deer five
year,"
"No."
every well, i" says Joe, "make um law
no killum deer for FIVE years except by
Indian when he campum out. Last
summer Massachusetts, fellows come.
Hire me to go with um six weeks.
Killum two deer weighing one hundred
and forty pounds; spend fifteen hundred
dollar in Maine. / getum FIVE hundred
dollar. Good thing to get fifteen hun
dred dollar for two deer, all spent in
Maine"
The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1875-02-19
Model New England Cow.

Mr.. E. p. French, of New Bedford,
N. H., has a grade Durham COW which,
during the seventy-fve days ending in
July last, gave an average of Sc 1-5
quarts of milk day, and for the next
twenty days in August gave %
quarts day, or an average, for the
hundred days, of 24.94 quarts day. Mr..
French has kept her tally for the hun
dred days from Aug. 25th, to Dec. 3rd.,
and the amount is 1914 quarts, or Is l.
quarts day. Her yield for the two
hundred days was 4, 4,3o53 quarts or over
2lt quarts day. This COW took the
first premium at the State Fair for the
best COW for milk. The weight of the
milk produced during the two hundred
days was 4 tons 8SS pounds.-[ Turf,
Field and Farm.
The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1875-02-19
Chinese Private Life.

Here are some hints which may be
useful to some of our cooks: "They
have large screen before the doorway,
which gives privacy sufficient for their
need The window sashes are closed
either by sort of jalousie or thin mat
ting. They do not surround their do
mestic cities with the same mystery and
secret precautions with which we en-
velope these proceedings in Europe.
Human nature, they argue, has to sleep,
and here is the mat upon which it
stretches itself. Why conceal it? 1t
also wants to eat, and it satisfies its ap-
petite no matter how many eyes are
gazing. Tell a Chinese cook you are
hungry, and he will Immediately fetch
his fire, his cooking utensils, his pro-
visions, and cook under your very nose.
He has no idea of concealing his opera
tions in some far-away back region,
yclept kitchen He squats down any
where, makes fire on or in anything, a
basin, dish, pan or pot; there is no limit
to his invention. He will cook in the
middle Of the street, or in the centre of
his guests in restaurant. Upon one
occasion, when on board a junk, OBJ
served a man cooking his own and his
neighbor's food together in a tub, and
an earthenware saucer containing the
charcoal. Wonderful creatures they
are, these despised Chinese, with deft-
ness of finger and ingenuity Of patience
unsurpassed by any nation under the
sum- Temple Bar.
The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1875-02-19
An Eccentric Millionaire.

A New Orleans correspondent de-
scribes a visit to old Francois Lacrois,
the millionaire pauper, whose persistent
refusal to pay the taxes imposed upon
his immense estates has made him an
object of pity. Living in one of those
quaint hooks for which the French
quarter of New Orleans is celebrated,
he is possessed of property valued at
over million dollars. He is an old
quadroon, with sharp voice and black,
glistening eye. He was clothed in a suit
of dirty cotton cloth, the only dress in
which he ever appears. In the room
with him was his mother, woman said
to be one hundred and ten years old.
Besides the fire stood an old fashioned
desk, with pigeon-holes filled with mus
ty papers. An iron safe and few rick
ETY. chairs completed the furniture. For
ty years ago he was the fashionable tail
or of New Orleans, and made money
with surprising rapidity. The French
dandies of the city never thought of
showing themselves on the streets unless
their lean legs were encased in pair of
Lacroix's trowsers. By their patronage
he became wealthy, and investing his
money in real estate, which doubled in
value, he was soon millionaire. One
peculiarly of the old man was his aver
sion to paying taxes, and four years ago
his bill for upaid taxes amounted to up
ward of $4,000. Having finally been
persuaded TO pay a portion of them
rather than allow the property to be
sold, he intrusted $4,000 to his son for
the purpose. The young man took the
money and entering a gambling house
lost every penny of it. Lacroix cursed
his son and drove him from his house.
Then he sank into state of inaction,
and his taxes accumulated until last
spring they amounted to $S0,0OO Then
a part of his property was sold. He
made no effort to redeem it, and still he
sits and allows his property to vanish.
The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1875-02-19
Is the Earth Approaching the Sun?

Mr.. R. A. Proctor, writing to the
London Times respecting a letter ad-
dressed by DR.. Phipson to French
journal, expressing the opinion that the
recent transit of observations are useless
because the earth is continually draw
ing nearer to the sun, observes that it
would be something beyond joke if
DIR. Phipson were right, and therefore it
may be as we'll to point out that, while
during the last century there has been
uncertainty about the suns distance,
even to the extent of millions of miles,
astronomers are absolutely certain that
the distance has not varied by hun
dred, or even by ten miles, during that
time. If the earth had, as has been
stated, drawn nearer by one-thirtieth of
her former distance, the length of the
year would have change by one-twen-
tieth of its former length, or by eigh-
teen days. A change of only ten miles
in the last 100 years would correspond
to change of more than 300 miles since
the length of the year was first deter
mined very exactly. This would be
about a three hundred thousandth of the
suns distance, and the length of the
year would have been changed by about
a two hundred thousandth part-that is
by about two minutes and half. Now,
it is known that the Chaldean sidereal
year, probably far more ancient than
the above reasoning assumes contained
365 days hours and IL minutes, being
not quite two minutes too great. The
suns distance might, therefore, be di-
minished by about eight miles per cen
tury. But in reality we have no evil
dence in support of such a theory, see
ing that the Chaldeans professedly Sc
lerted such value for the year as would
make their "saros" contain an exact
number of hours. Considering that as
tronomers will be we'll satisfied if they
can determine the suns distance within
100, 900 miles, it is clear, Mr.. Proctor
says, that the maximum change of dis
tance we can admit, by which 100000
years would be required to bring the
earth 100000 miles nearer to the sun, Is
not very important point in the in
quiry.
The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1875-02-19

CoURIER-JoURNAL: A little girl
named Krughe, of Page county, Iowa,
started to school week before last. But
she didn't go but one day. Although
ten years of age, she had never been in
school before, and when she came home
at night old man Krughe turned in and
literally beat her to death because she
couldn't repeat the alphabet. II that
little girl had lived and failed to
acquire thorough English and classical
education, with all the modern accom-
plishments, within ten or fifteen days,
that father of hers would probably have
been struck dumb with astonishment-
We think, though, that he acted rather
hastily, nevertheless.
The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1875-02-19
Preparations for War in Europe.
[rron the Saturday Review.l

from the Saturday heyieW-l
When the system of universal con-
scription, lately established in Russia,
has borne its full fruits, the total nom
inal strength of the Russian army is
calculated at 100000 men. This is
half million in excess of the German
force, but the vast extent of the Russian
dominions must always make it more
difficult to concentrate Russian than
German armies, and for the present Rus
sia has not enough officers to supply the
requirements Of so vast an army. The
German army is therefore, and must for
some time remain, the first army in the
world. The arming of the greater
Powers has however. made it necessary
that lesser Powers should follow in their
wake, and not only Austria and Italy,
but smaller States, like Sweden, Bel
GUM and Switzerland, are doing their
best TO make their armies efficient, Spain
exhausts itself in raising armies to fight
each other, and Turkey exhausts itself
in raising an army which it is not al
lowed TO use. Europe may therefore be
said to be in arms from one end to the
other, although there is no immediate
prospect or assIgnable cause of war.
The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1875-02-19
Living to Eat, and Eating to Live.

Eating is a necessity of life, but the
spectacle presented at some tables when
the family has assembled for meal
might well suggest the question. Do
these people know why they eat? To be
sure no little knowledge is requisite If
we would supply the wants of nature in
proper manner; but is there any hard
ship in informing ones self with respect
to so important matter as the preserva-
tion of a strong, healthy body?
Is health, and its accessory abiI-
ity to perform life's duties we'll, a minor
consideration, quite inferior to knowl-
edge of arithmetic, or geography, or Of
the mechanics or music? An eminent
English observer has said that "a man
must live forty years before he knows
how to eat" True enough according to
the prevalent mode of gathering the
knowledge of what is fit or unfit for our
stomachs as We 60 along in life, thus
making our system sort of experiment
tai laboratory for the analysis OF all
sorts of so-called pabulum. And how
few survive forty years of constant ex-
pertinent with their alimentary func-
ton!
The masses are yet quite ignorant of
the philosophy of nutrition, and riot in
their ignorance. The housewife may be
skilled in the preparation to toothsome
dishes, but very rarely knows what is
suitable or unsuitable among her mater
ials for the uses of the body. If the
article "tastes good" that quality is gen
orally a sufficient warrant for its appro-
priation.-[Annual of Phrenology and
Physiognomy.
The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1875-02-19

The impudence of the managers Of the
Uuion Pacific Railroad Company is al
most without parallel. They resist all
demands of the Government for pay
ment Of the interest due on its bonds;
until the Treasury Department is com.
PEELED to bring suit for its recovery; yet,
in the face Of this, they have the sub
lime impudence to request Of the Com
missioner Of the Land Office to construe
an act of June %, 1874, for the relief Of
settlers on railroad lands so as to permit
the Union Patifc Railroad Company to
select lands containing coal and iron in
lieu of agricultural lands proposed to be
released in favor of actual settlers. The
Commissioner very properly declined to
grant the request, and replied that tho
act Of June last provides "that nothing
herein contained shall in any manner
be so construed as to enlarge or extend
any grant to any such railroad Your
company receives all its coal and iron
lands without diminuiion on account of
the claim of any settler. To allow you
in addition to surrender lands purely
agricultural and take therefor these re-
served coal lands Of greatly increased
value, would, in my judgment, material
ly enlarge your grant, and would there
fore be in express violation Of the act
under which the claim is presented"
The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1875-02-19

FIVE ACEs.-Jack and Jim Reynolds,
cousins and loafers, were rllying poker
in bar-room near Augusta, Me. Jack
held a straight, with an ace at the head,
and, to his intense delight, Jim put
down the money as fast as he raised, un-
til the pool amounted to over $40. Then
Jim called and Jack threw down his
straight. Then Jim threw down four
aces. This indicated the miracle Of five
aces in one pack or a fraud, and Jack
expressed his opinion that there was
"shenanigen going on" He examined
Jim's aces, and found that one of them
was tray with the end spots chalked
out. A fight ensued for the stakes, in
which Jim was stabbed and Jack had
his nose bitten, but neither got the mon
ey, because somebody stole it while they
were fighting.
The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1875-02-19

1RoN IN THE PYRAMIDS OF EGYPr.
According to the Iron Age, wedge or
plate of iron has been found imbedded
in the masonry of the great pyramid in
Egypt, the indications being that it must
have been wrought in the age Of Cheops,
placed by some authorities as far back
as 5.400 years ago. This makes the use
of iron about $500 years more ancient
than it is supposed to be, and affords
opportunity for explaining the cut
ting of the sharp and well-defned
hieroglyphics on porphyry, granite and
other hard stones employed in the con-
struction of Egyptian pyramids, temples
and tombs. How these could have been
cut before the age of iron has been puz-
ling question to many. Further inves.
tigation many show iron to have been in
use 6,000 years ago.
The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1875-02-19
Silver for the Whole World.

All previous aceouats of the discover
les of rich mines in the Ophir of Ameri-
ca have been eclipsed BY the recent de-
velopment of two mines the "California"
and the Consolidated Virginia" of the
Comstock Lode in Nevada. Years ago
the territory upon which il is located
was examined by experts in the employ
of Mr.. Sharon and rejected as worthless.
Then it fell into the hands of Messrs.
Flood and O'Brien, firm of wealthy
and energetic capitalists, who had faith
in the richness of the deposit. They
made the most searching investigation,
and were rewarded by the discovery of
the most valuable silver mine in the his
tory of precious ores. Phe length of
this immense deposit is seventeen hun
dred feet. Its depth has been tested TO
the extent of two hundred feet, and from
the horizontal and vertical inclinations
the most expert engineers have decided
that the entire depth is six hundred feet.
A further calculation, which the engi-
neers assert is in no wise an exaggera-
ton, place the value Of the bullion in
these mines at 81 500 100000. A single
"pillar" in the Consolidated Virginia'
mine contains S76, 5000, 600! The recent
great discovery upon the claims of Mr.
Sharon, in the same lode, fade into in
significance in the light of this new de-
velopement.
Almost every capitalist in San Fran
cisco, large and small, has become a
stock speculator, and the excitement far
outriyals the widest scenes of Wall
street. In office, parlor and even in the
ball room, as we'll as on Change, the rise
and fall of stock is the subject of anxious
conversation and inquiry. Not only
does the substantial capitalist bull and
bear, buy and sell, but maidens with
long purses, blooming damsels scarcely
escaped from school, and stately mater
families dabble in the dangerous cauld-
ron and inquire with trembling lips:
ais California good buy at five hun
dred?" or; allow high will consolidated
Virginia go before it kicks the beam?"
Even servant girls who had saved of
their earnings enough to buy few shares
of stock have become independent
through the rise. These mines alone,
exhausted and coined, would furnish
more than enough silver currency for
the whole world.
The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1875-02-19
The Amethyst.

The amethyst is simply a variety of
quartz of rock crystal, of blush or pur-
plish-violet color. It is..common in Eu-
rope and many parts of Scotland, but the
finest specimens are found in India, Cey-
Ion and Brazil. 1t occasionally occurs
in the lining of rocks. There is varie-
ty Of spiral, having pnrplish hue,
which is called the Oriental amethyst;
but this is precious gem, differing en-
tirely in composition and value from
the ordinary amethyst. The import of
these latter stones from Brazil has been
SO great since 1872 that they have be-
come almost worthless in the market.
The first lots sent to Europe brought
from 5000 to 5000 per arroba of 80
pounds weight; but as the quantity in
creased, the price receded, until it be-
came absolutely nothing. At present nc
sale can be effected Of the lots on hand
The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1875-02-19
Johnny's Essay on "The Tode."

Todes is like frogs, but more dignity,
and when you come to think of it, frogs
is wetter. The warts which todes is
noted for can't be cured, for they is
cronick, but if couldent git wei Ide
stay in the house. My granfather knew
a tode which some body had tanned till
it was folks. When its master WISHED
it would come for flies. They cetches
'em with their tong, which is some like
long red werm, but more like lite1in,
only litening haint got no gum onto it.
The fiji will be standin and rubbin its
hind legs together and thinkin wat fine
iii it is, and the tode a settin some dis
tance away like it was a sleep. Vile
you are seein the fiji as plane as you eyer
see any thing, all at once it amt there,
Then the tode he looks up soliem, out
of his eyes, like he said, watts become OF
that FL? but you know he ct it.
The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1875-02-19
Late Theories About Comets.

One of the latest theories respecting
comets derives its foundation from the
we'll. known statment made by Sir John
Herschel, that the most unsubstantial
clouds, which float in the highest regions
of our atmosphere and seem at sunset to
be drenched in light and to glow
throughout their whole depth as if in
actual ignition, without any shadow or
dark side, must be looked upon as dense
and massive bodies, compared with the
filmy and all but spiritual texture of a
comet. Owing to this extreme tenuity
of matter, the rays of the suns light, as
reflected by it, are absolutely invisible
to the inhabitants of the earth, but the
other rays, penetrating into the center
the comet, are refracted by this power
full lens of twenty millions of leagues
diameter into the focus which forms the
nucleus of the comet, where there is per-
haps greater concentration of rays of
light than anywhere else, not in the body
of the sun; hence this large body of con-
centrated light streaming in a narrow
path through the remaining half of the
comet, in direction opposite the sun, is
regarded as forming that splendid appen-
dage called the tail.
The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1875-02-19
The Wickedest Man in the North
west.

Under this heading the Chicago times
relates the following. NELSON Coleman,
4 farmer who resides about two and one
half miles North of Canton, Fulton
county, this State, is probably the wick
edest man in the Northwest. One day,
ten day ago, he was trying to lead a colt
into an old, rickety shed, when the ami
NAL became frightened and refused to
enter. 1t was with good deal of diff
Guilty that he at last got the colt into the
shed, and when he had succeeded he was
so enraged that he swore the colt should
never come out again alive. He kept
his oath, and the poor beast has been i'm
prisoned all these long ten years in the
place about ten feet square. Winter and
summer it has been the same. The poor
horse has stood at its crib and never
breathed breath of pure, air, nor eaten
a blade of grass. The long confinement
stunted his growth, so that at the time
Of his death, which occurred a week ago,
he was scarcely larger than yearling.
But he was sadly deformed. His hoofs
had never received the attention of
blacksmith, and had grown so long that
they cnrled over and back SO as to touch
the shins. Any one of them must have
been eighteen inches longer than the
hoofs of horses usually are. The knowl-
edge of the existence of such an object
of mans depravity coming to the llli-
nois Humane Society in this city, one of
its agents, Mr.. E. c. Hamilton, was sent
out to investigate the matter and prose-
cute the owner of the poor beast for
cruelty to animals. Coleman was arrest
ed and tried on Saturday last. That this
monstrous cruelty should have been al
lowed to go on from year to year by the
Christian people of Canton. place re-
nowned for its churches and morality, is
strange, and is only to be accounted for
on the ground that every body was afraid
of Coleman, and no one dared take the
first step towards prosecuting him."
The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1875-02-19

ORIGIN OF PLANTs.-Cabbage grew
wild in Siberia; buckwheat originated
in Germany; the potato is native of
Peru; the onion originated in Egypt;
tobacco is a native of South America;
millet was first known in India; the net
tie is native of Europe; the citron is a
native of Asia, oats originated in North
Africa; rye came originally from Siberia;
parsly was first known in Sardinia; the
parsnip is native of Arabia, the sun
flower was brought from Peru; spinach
was first cultivated in Arabia; the pear
and apple are from Europe; the horse
chestnut is a native of Thibet; the Gu
cumber came from the East Indies; the
ounce came from the Island of Crete
the radish is native of China and ia.
pan; the pear is supposed to be of Egyp-
tian origin; the horseradish came from
the south of Europe.
The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1875-02-19

REsHARPENING OLD FILES. = NJ.
Werderman has patented the following
process for sharpening old files which
have become useless by long wear: At
ter thorough washing with strong and
hot solution of caustic soda, The files are
put in connection with the positive cleo
trode of battery and plunged into a
bath composed of forty parts of sulphur
ic acid and one thousand parts of water.
The negative electrode consists of cop
per wire spiral surrounding but not
touching the files, the end of the wire
coming to the surface TO be connected
with the battery. After ten minutes oi
immersion, the files are Withdrawn,
washed, dried, and examined, if the cut
is not sufficiently deep, they are replaced
in the bath. Sometimes two operations
are required, but rarely more. Files
thus treated have, it said, the appearance
of new ones, and may be used constantly
for sixty hours without losing theil
cutting power.