davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-11-12
"Braln and lnfellfcf.n

In the current number OF the Lancet, says
the Pal Mail Gazette, there is an interest
ing paper by DR.. Lawson, pathologist to the
West Riding lunatic asylum, en- the relation
subsistlng between the weight of the brain
and the extent Of the intellectual powers Of
human beings. 1t appears from the inyes-
legations OF the writer anu his colleagues
that not only persons of great mental caps-
city, but also lanatics, occasionally possess
brains which are considerably heavier than the
average brains possessed oy ordinary but
sane people. The average weight of the
brain, according to DIR. Lawson, is common
ly accepted to he forty-nine ounces in men
and iorty-four ounces in women. If we re-
member rightly it is placed an ounce higher
for either sex in "Quain's Anatomy" But
the point Is unlmportant as regards the con-
ciusons at which DR.. Lawson has arrived.
Some Of the heaviest brains the weight of
which has been accurately ascertained were
those of Cuvier, ca ounces Abercrombie,
63 ounces; Goodsir, 57.5 ounces; Sir j.
Simpson, 81 ounces; Daniel Webster, 535
ounces; and DR., Chalmers SO ounces
Against these six names of more or less dis
tinction DR.. lawson gives the weights Of
thC u GlA NuO ultQ dl tue
West Riding lunatic asylum. They were
So ounces in two cases, 55.5 ounces, COS
ounces, and 6l ounces None of these equal
in weight the brains of either Cuyier or
Abercrombie. But Lawson observes that
perhaps if all the elements of the case were
tc be considered, the heaviest adult brain on
record might be found to be that Of a senie
dement, who died in the West Riding asy-
lum at the age Of seventy. His brain was
found to weigh 81 ounces. Following the
generally accepted principle that the brain
loses weight to the extent of an ounce in
each decennial period, this mans brain, af-
ter allowance has been made for physiological
may be presumed to have weigh
ed when he was at the age Of forty no fewer
than Gf ounces. Bctin this case PATHOLOGY
cal supplemented physiological changes, and
the more rapid atrophy which accompanies
senile dementio justifes the conclusion that
at the time OF his maturity this mans brain
MAJ have outweighei that of Cuvier. More
over, out of 10j patients WHO have died in
the West Riding lunatic asylum, the weight
of brain Was found to be in all cases little,
if anything, below the average AZ stated by
DR.. Lawson Among rather more than 800
Insane women at the sane establishment
brains were found weighing from so TO Sc
ounces. which in proportion, were equal to
male brains Of S., So, 60. and 81 ounces.
speaking, says DR.. Lawson, thesa
insane women had more brains than Chal-o
mers, Webster, Simpson, Goodsir. and many
others sddueed as Illustrations Of the state
ment that great size Of brain usually ACCOM-
Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-11-12

The TRAGEDY AT MERCER, ME.-Maine
forms about as bad case of crime as either
New Hampshire or Vermont can boast
Names murderer was considerate enough to
kill himself. At the inquest the following
story was brought out:
Hiram Walton and Greenleaf Tracey were
neighbors and formerly quite intimate.
Walton's wife Mary, q weak-minded wo-
ma1, was influenced by Tracey to leave her
hu and, and lived with Tracey in Lowell,
Ms, two years. She then came home and
her husband pardoned, pitied her, and took
her back. They lived happily for some time.
She left again. While absent her husband
obtained divorce. She returned two
weeks ago, and was Mortified to find herself
divorced. She begged forgiveness. Walton
offered her home if she would not live
with Tracey again. Tracey soon returned.
He went to SEQ her and entreatei her to 20
with him. She resisted. He procured a
g i. and, under the influence of liouor.
committed the deed Tracey's age was
thirty-fve. He leaves a wife and six child
ren. At the inquest, the murderer's father
testified as follows. My son had appeared
strange for some time he borrowed
double-barrellcd gun the afternoon of the
22d a; tried to persuade him to give it up,
bat he would not be started across the
field toward Hiram Walton's | wanted to
follow, but my wife was afraid he might
kill me ; about an hour after VIC heard the
report of gun went into the woods and
found Greenleaf lying against tree in u
halt-sitting position, dead, the gun beside
him the shot entered the right side of the |
throat and came on. under the left ear.
The murder is thus described by Hiram |
Walton, husband Of the murdered woman
Tracy came to my house about p. m, with |
a gun he looked wild and haggard he
spoke to Mary, who was at nv house | |
asked him what he was going to do with a
gun he said, " am here, if you want to
shoot me you can = Mary said, " lie don't
want to shoot you. | don't want fuss,
but want You to 90 away" Tracey started
backward with the gun. out of the door,
Mary (the deceased), my boy, and my
mother following him he cooked the gun
Mary said, - For Gods sake. for the sake |
Of my boy that is dead and the one living
don't fire - but he fired and ran ; the muz-
zle OF the gun was no. more than six feet
irom her breast when he fired she dropped
dead and cid not breathe after Tracey fred
Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-11-12

RECoLLEcTI0Ns OF FAMOUS MEN i doubt
II there are fifty persons in the United
States who know that John Quincy Adams
and Robert BArnwel khett were cousins.
These two men, representing the extreme
Northern and the extreme Southern doctrines,
and who hated each other with intense bit
terness, We're near relatives, rs shall now
show. The Rhetts Of South Carolina hay
ing become extinct, their relations, the
Smiths, Of Beaufort, south Carolina, took
the name of Rhett in the year 1896. These
Smiths were from North Carolina. The
brothers, Henry, James, Robert Barnwall
and Albert, changed the name to Rhett. as
! have stated.
Their cousin, Abigail Smith, Of North
Carolina, married John Adams, and was the
mother Of John Quincy Adams The parti-
san acrimOny Of these two men was 50 in
tensely bitter thati 1898, when the South
Carolina nullifyinc convention was debating
the policy of accepting the compromise bin
just passed hy Congress and favored by Cal
houn, Robert Blrnwell Rhett said that " be-
fore accepting that compromise he would be
shattereint0 bloody fragments on the battle
field 90 And John Quincy Adams, in a let
ter 10 some old woman in Massachusetts
named Thaxter, in loii, asserted that " slav-
cry should be abolished if it cost the lives Of
five hundred thousand men ."
Ia the year l,27 saw the celebrated
Aaron Burr. He came to attend the exsmi-
patton at Paruilge's military academy,
where ho had a ward named Francis Bar
dett. lie came with another warl-he was
always educating s1mebody-who was
ADJ CT ,flf...
who, believe, subsequently married Gov
ernor John L. Wilson, Of South Carolina.
The appearance Of Burr was striking, for
be had the classic outline of face which Is
portrayed in his Likeness prefxed to his
d" Life by Davis, - the once celebrated d" Spy
in Washington;" Col Burr was about five
feet six inches in height and wore his hair in
a queue.
When Calhoun was dying, young preach
er named Butler called to see him. When
Calhoun heard the name, sapposing the call
er was his colleague, Judge Andrew Pickens
Butler, he said to his private secretary,
Scoyil " Show him up-it i his priyi-
lege" Bat imagine his amazcment when
the Young minister was ushercd into the
chamber and announced, his object being to
converse with C,lhoun on religion. Mr.
Scoyil says that Mr. Calhoun became very
angry, and he heard him muttering " 4
boy-a boy-without beard on his f4ce-to
call on me, and wish to speak about religion
"A subject about which | have been think
ing all nv life :" When ! recall this scene,
and remember the mate HESS pre-eminence of
Mr.. Calhoun, | cannot help repeating the
line " Fools rush in where angels fear to
tread. .n-Nag Orlraas Bulletin
Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-11-12
NUMBER 20.

tied to recover. The county court rendered
Judgment for plaintiff pro torma. The
question was whether the defendant was
guilty of such negligence in having such a
place in his granary, and suffering plaintiff
to go there. provided the plaintiff was in
the exercise of due care and diligence, as
would allow plaintiff to recover. Judgment
OF county court reversed and Judgment for
defendant. Wales & Taft and T. R. Hard
for plaintiff; Phelps and II. Ballard for de-
fendant
Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-11-12
panies great intellectual capacity. SimilaI

panies great intellectual capacity. Similar
ly with regard to criminal lunatics, though
the average weight Of brain among single
dozen Of these, examined BY DR.. Orange Of
Broadmoor, is an ounce and half under
the general male average, there are in that
limited number two brains which exceed
that Of Chalmers in weight, and one that
outweigs those of chalmers, Daniel Webster,
and Sir j. Simpson, and is within half
an ounce of being equal to that of Good
sir. Small-headed people may take COM
fort from these statistics. But assuming
equal quality, superior quantity of brain
would, as it is natural to assume on grounds
OF physiological analogy, unmistakably
tell the result.
Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-11-12

How To GET RID OF HoUsEHolD PEsTs.-
| have not seen bed-bug or a flea IN my
house for many years. Ii an army of them
were to be brought in, mercury would
speedily exterminate them but think
cleanliness the best and perhaps the only
preventive. The common house ilv do not
molest, believing that it more than compen-
safes for its trouble by clearing the arfnos-
phere of etiluyia and the animalcules which
always arise from the putrefaction Of decay
ing substances during warm weather. So
also with the birds, which are quite numer
Gus here during the summer. Instead Of
shooting them or setting up searecrows to
irlghten them away, throw cut every pos
slbie inducement for chem to build their
nests in my fruit trees. The birds capture
a large share Of the insects IL the larya
state, and thus the millers are prevented
from depOsiting eggs for future worms. As
to the lost Of fruit by the birds the latter
are always sure to be on hand in force in
the season of ripe fruit, whether they come
early to take the worms or not. For the
residue of insects which iulest my yegeta
bic garden find that the laboratory Of the
chemist furnishes materials fatal TO them all,
among which white hellebore and clenyne
pepper are of the most utility. The bug or
worm which cannot find vegetation undavor-
ed with these articles viii seek it. breakfast
elsewhere and leave a garden unmolested.
\ few drops Of carb0lic acid in pint Of
water will clean house plants from lice in
very short time. Ii mosquitoes or other
blood-suckers infest our sleeping rooms at
night, we uncork bottle Of the oil Of pen
nyroyal, and these insects leave in great
haste, nor will they return 50 long as the air
in the room is loaded with the fumes of
that aromatic herb. If rats enter the cellar,
little powdered potash thrown into their
holes, or mixed with meal and scattered in
their runaways, never fails to drive Aem
away. Cayenne pepper will keep theNut-
terry and storeroom free from ants and cock
reaches If a mouse makes an entrance
into any part of your dwellings, saturate a
rag with cayenne in solution and stuff it
into hole, which can be repaired with
either wood or mortar. No rat or mouse
will eat that rag for the purpose OF opening
communication with the depot ofsupplies.-
Charles Thompson IN Scientific American.
Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-11-12

From the st. Louis Republican.


lie sat on one side the room in big white
oak rocking chair. She on the other side
in a little white-oak rocking chair. \ long
cared deerhound, swapping at flies, was by
his side basket of sewing by hers. He
sighs heavily and looks out of the west win
dow at Grape myrtle tree she sighs light
" and looks out the east window-at the
turnip patch At last he remarked
This is mighty good weather to pick cot
ton
"'Tis that, if we only had any to pick. "
The rocking continues.
Whats your dogs name >"
"Coony'
Another sigh-broken stiffness.
"W That Is he good fur"
what IS who good fur - said she alb
stractedly.
Your dog, Coony."
Fur ketchin' 'possums
Silence of half an hour.
-"He looks like a deer-dog"
"Wbo looks ike deer-dog?"
"Coony"
"He is; but he's kinder bell1w-el an
gettin' old an slow now. An he ain nj.
count on cold trail.
In the quiet ten minutes that ensuel. she
took two stitches in her quilt. Ii was a
gorgeous affair, that quilt was, made By the
pattern called ''Rose of Sharon" She i
very particular about the nomenclature Of
her quilts, and frequently walks fifteen miles
to get a new pattern, with real putty
name"
Your ma raisin' many chickens ~
Forty odd"
Then more rocking and, somehow after
awhile, the big rocking chair and the little
rocking chair jammed side by side.
"How many has your ma got -
Glow many what?'
Chickens
"Nigh on to a hundred
By this time the chairs were so close To-
gether that rocking was impossible.
"The minks has eat all ours.
Then long silence rejgns. At last he OBJ
serves :
MAXIM quilts?"
"Yes," she replies, Frightening up. 1--WE
Just finished a 'Roarin' Eagle of Brazeal. a
Sitting Sun, and Nation Pride. Have
you ever saw the yellow Rose of the Pa
rary p"
mo"
More silence; then he says:
''Do you love cabbage?''
81 do that"
Presently his hand is accidentally placed
on hers. She does not know it-at leas
does not seem to be aware OF it. Then a.
ter half hour spent in coughing and clear
ing Of throats, he suddenly says
"l'se a great a-mind to bite you"
"What Won GREAT a-mind to bite me fur -
"Kase you won't have me.
"Kase you amt axed me-"
"Well, now, | ak you"
"Then, now, has you"
Then Coony dreams he hears sound of
kissing.
The next day the young man goes to Tiger
vile after marriage license. Wednesday,
the following week. No cards.
Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-11-12

AD inventive phiiauthropist in Chicago,
"A0 considers it rudeneSs persOniiei to
wear phial cork at his huttOn-hole, tied
10 piece OF pink ribbon, and to pat the
same into his weather ear when he gins to
be weary Of his compani0n's conversation,
and also it ayerse TO presenting him with a
card inscribed Hire a hall" This man
wa talked T. death" Next door, ="
Write I ant. etc etc . has designed an
admirable INSTRUMENT Tor the protection
against travellers and other people whe are
N danger from the man with fine flow of
language. lt consists of small piece Of
wood cut with several faces. on each OF
with is described word or phrase, as
Yes, 8" NO. " Cant say" "Guess 50. ."
"'Don't know Haven't heard" In
deed ~ Thanks" 80 they told me. :"
You don't say 50. "All right" and the
ike. When a person is attacked by a man
who talks, all be has to do is to take out
MS tongue pressrver, and present to him
Whichever face is necessary. With little
practice any person of average intelligence
can become an expert.
Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-11-12

The Egyptian army has entered Abyssinia
General Sherman's : book has thus far net
ted him 100000
The Wisconsin Indians predict mil,
Winter.
The khedise of Egypt is seriously i'll from
mental depression, caused by the death o
his daughter
There is great distress in the iron trade
in England, and large iron producers art
shutting down.
Miss Clapp, of Augusta, Me-, who wa:
Supposed to have been abducted some week.
ago. is still missing.
Hayburning stoves are coming into use
in Minnesota
Colorado will take part in the next Pres
idential eleation, having three electoral
votes
Nine candidates iJr alderman in New
York are engaged in the retail liquor traffic
A child has Just been killed in Lake Vii
lage, n. H, by sucking matches
The dead rhinoceros has been stuffed at
Albany. The New York Herald is sad to
think that only one you ng lady can wear it
on her bonnet.
A Kentucky justice has decided that it is
not legal for farmer to hitch his wife up
with mule, against her will, no matter
how anxious he is to plow.
A hen, Is years old. in Madison county,
Tenn, was recently assassinated by hogs
All the doors of public buildings in New
Hampshire must, BY law, hereafter open
outward, under penalty Of $500.
\ California tree is pine for thirty feet
from the ground. The rest of it, like the
world and a cats tail, is fir to the end
Now French iron clad has gone up. The
Magenta, the flagship of the French squad
ron, at foulon, caught fire on Saturday and
exploded
Father Linkeu, a German Catholic priest,
of Springfield, Ill.,, has astonishel every
body by linking himself to the daughter
70 his housekeeper
Mr.. Shredder is building an air ship at
Baltimore, in which he expects to cross the
Atlantic in forty hours
\ New England paper wants button
hole that viii stand the constant strain i'm
posed upon it by numerous candidates.
Texas will hold the final State election of
the current year, on Tuesday, December :.
The Democrats carried the State by 47,C3l
majority for Governor in 1873.
The new diagonal waltz, Just int-oIuc-
ed, is generally supplemented with refresh
ments of saeh nature thar the diagonal
part Of the gait is kept up all the way
home
The Bank of England closed its door, m
Monday AS it always does on the day for
striking the regular half yearly balances.
We have never calculated the "nativo
horn Of Massachusetts or auv other State
The "ioreign-born" are constantly having
'natiye-hora children while the native
born are quite tie contrary Boston Pilot
Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-11-12

ANBER.-Amber is formed BY the pith
(medulla or marr0lc) which flows from trees
of the pine species, as gum flows from the
cherry trees aud resin from pines. 1t is,
first of all, liquid which bursts forth in
abundance then it is cOngealed by the cold,
or by the heat, or by the sea, when the great
tides rise and sweep it from the islauds. At
all events, it is thrown on the coasts, and 1t
seems to swim with the waves, and not 90 to
the bottom. Our ancestors, thinking 1t was
the sap (succis) ofa tree, called 1t, on that
account, suoanupi. What proves that am
Der is the product Of a species pine *,
that when rubbed il exhales an Odor ike
that of pine, and that when set on fire it
burns after the fashion, and With the scent,
of resinous torch. Ii is conveyed by the
Germans into Psnnonia (IIungary) chiefly
thence the Veneti (Venetians). whom the
Greeks called Hsnefi, who are in the im-
mediate proximity to Pannonia, and who
live round the Adriatic Sea, have brought
it into vogue. The fable which has connect
ed the Padus with amber has an evident
cause. In our own day, the Transpadanian
peasant women wear an amber necklace, for
Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-11-12
VOL.XLIX. NEW SERIES. VOL. xxi.

FURIOUS PORTUGUESE FoRN OF CougrsHrr.
-Ihe young men, however, have one oc-
cupatlon more important even than wearing
tight bootS, and which, almost in fact, goes
with it-that Of making the very mildest
lorm of love known amongst men. The
/ process, indeed, is carried on in 50 Platonic
a manner, and with So much proper feeling,
that l doubt if even the strictest English
goyerness would find anything in it to object
10. The young gentleman paw their ad-
dresses by simply standing in front of the
house occupied by the object OF their affec-
tlons' while the young person in question
LOOKS down approvingly from an upper win
COW, and there the matter ends They are
not within speaking distance, and have to
content themselves with expressive glances
ana dumb show, for it would be thought
highly unbecoming for the young LADY to al
low 6iLet-doUr TO iutter down into the
street, while the laws Of grayitation stand
IN the way Of the upward flight Of such
document-unweighted, at least, with
stone, and this, Of course, might risk giving
the young lady black eve, or breaking her
iather : window panes. So the lovers there
remains, often for hours, feeling no doubt
very happy, bat looking unutter bly, foolish.
these silent eOurtships sometimes continue
Tor very long periods before the lover can
ask the fatal question, or the lady return
the final answer. | heard story ofo
such protracted courtship which an ingen-
ious novelist might easily work into a pretty
romance.
AbOut forty or fifty years ago, before the
suppression Of converts in Portugal, young
lady vas engaged to be married. For some
reason or other the marriage did not come
Of, and the girl was placed IL Benedictine
nunnery at 0port0. Soon after came the
abolition Of converts, but while the monas-
terles were absolutely dissolved, and the
monks scattered, the nuns who were already 1
inmates Of religious houses We're suffered /.
there to remain. The young lady, accord /
ingiy, on the suppression occurring did not I.
leave the Benedictine convent 1t Is to be /
presumed, however, that the rules of this |
particular establishment were somewhat re- !
Axei, foT the young gentleman who had 4
been engaged to this nun was observed to I
take his constant stand before the barred .
window of his former mistress cell. while .
she would become visible behind the grating. /
Here the romance have imagined would |
perhaps rather lack incident, and except in /
a masters hand might grow monotonous, for
this hopeless courtship lasted no fewer than
four and thirty years. till bowed and mid
dle-aged man paced the pavement, and look
ed up to a gay-hairei mistress. Ii only
ended with the death Of the lady a few wears
ago. Many persons nave assured nc that
they mad often been eyewitness of what
have described, and found that the fact
was quite notorious in Oporto.-Lafoucte's
10 Trare's N Portugal"
Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-11-12
The Children's Bedtime.

The CLOCK strikes seven in the haIl,
The cur.ew Of the children's day'
tAit cails each little pattering foot
From dance and song and livelong play.
nelr day that in our wider light
f-0a;s Ike silver day. moon white
l'nr N our darkness sinks to res,
La SETS within golden west
M. teucer hour that sends drift
U. chlldren's kisses through the house
Anl CUCKOO notes OF sweet Good night
tnat though hts OF heaven and home arouse
. Ana a soit str TO sense and heart
as When the bee anG blossom part;
AM iitile feet that patter slower,
Ike the last Groupings OF the shower.
iut in tho children's room alot
"hat blossoms shapes do gaily slip
ller dainty sheaths. and ROSY run
From clasping hand and kissing lin.
\ naked sweetness to the eve
ssom and babe and butterfly
l' N-ictius one, SO dear a sight
Aa ec-t4s oi lie and lisht.
And, ah, what lovely wireheries
besirew the floor an empty sock
iy vanished dance and sou lett loose
As deac hlrcs thrOats; tiny snook
aal suFe upon some meadow grew
Ana dranA The heaven-sreet rains a shoe
.Hiree bigger than an acron cup;
f-ucts ilat seem fiywery rneads cut nm
IEea liy-drest in angel-whiie
iu mothers knee they trooping come.
u s9it pains io.d like kissing shells.
ALt 'hey and We 20 singing home
he.f hfight heads bowed and worshitpipg.
A. enoush some glory OF the spring,
; ne aauol!l that m0cks the day,
-aN4-4 -1i- Ais golden palms and pray.
le -ltes ~ Paradise swing wide
i ia 'mcnJs space in soft accord
i1i those dread angels. Life and Death.
= moment NalI tie taming sword
.sr tle weary world forlorn
rom Eden secret heart is bora
l4st breath e. Paradis seinost lair
"-a4 Ai' nets c A.. the chlldreu's prayer."
Htep rithetc mystery.
dr Rufli's -reAt woe unconscious hum
\ iA'nd -op on a blossoms lip;
hl4te innocence that WOos our wrinr
tl- love riue that looks again
nroIsc. Us uf the cross and pain.
.il -F.s. Cd ld eyes. and ia that chid
il earta end heaven roc5ncled.
d % h's.ei, nn beds We lay them down,
A. ifA--aut white as cloverid sod,
f.l A.. t.e upper floors grew hushed
" -th oh ltrea'- sleep. and dews fG.l
3 ll rs our stars their beams do hide
.Ls STAYS ol tW light, opening wide,
1890 up the heavenly tale at even,
AL -rt us Yn - tod and heaven
Macmillan = NAG iziar