davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-05-22
A Little Of Everything.

II WISH. John, you would drive a few
nails for me in the wood-house out here, '
said Maggie to her brother. 81 have
been wanting them this long time, but
always forget to ask you."
why not drive them yourself, Mag
giei" asked her father.
"Why, 1 don't know how, father" she
said in some surprise.
Thirteen years old is none too young
to learn" said her father. guess the
boys could drive one by the time they
were seven. You are certainly as capable
as they were at that agef" he added with
q smile.
"But don't believe could do boys
work." she said doubtfully.
"You have two good hands and ten
plump fingers just the same as they, and
it is all a mistake that girls can't learn
these little arts just as well as their
brothers. Come, my girl, l will show
you in a minute how it is done, and half
beat the boys. have observed that you
are much quicker to learn anything than
they are. Go on mending your harness,
John, we will attend to the nails"
Encouraged and infinitely instructed
by her father Maggie drove in all the
nails successfully, and SO pleased was
she with her success that she would
have set a double row around the shed,
think, if father had not concluded that
these would answer for the present.
"There, that little lesson helps to
make you more independent, my girl.
If you want nail put in you will.not be
obliged to wait for any of the men folks
to do it. That is comfortable sort of
independence which wish the woman's-
rights folks would inculcate more than
they do. Now 1 will teach you some
day to catch and harness up a horse.
You have already learned to drive
gentle horse. don't want you to try
your hand on Lion or Billy, for they
enough to hold them. But it is very
handy for a woman to know how to drive
a gentle horse. She can, many time,
do little GRAND to the village II she has
some knowledge of this sort when she
would have to wait long time before
man was at leisure to go. Learn to
sharpen knife and whittle, too, without
cutting your fingers.
Don't let the doors creak for want of
an oiled feather, or little children's boots
get hard in winter for want of a little
grease. Be handy about these little
things and you will be twice as indie
pendent and comfortable all the rest of
your life.
"You too, boys, might learn to advan-
tage how to make your beds and sweep
room and sew up a bag on the sewing
machine. Don't ask anyone TO sew on
button for you when there hangs a
cushion with needles in it and mothers
thread basket so handy.
"a little cooking will never hurt you.
Many beefsteak and fresh fish have
cooked in my day, and mother says l
can beat any girl making II pot of coffee.
don't often get a chance to try nova
days, but have seen the time when my
of the business came just in
play. go
"No telling whore you may be cast
away some time in your life. The most
helpless folks l have ever met are those
who can do only one sort of work. Learn
to do somel one thing very well indeed
and make that your dependence for a
living, then add to il just as much skill
and knowledge as you can. IL costs
nothing to carry knowledge"
American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-05-22
Compromising Felony.

CoMroUNpING felony is fashionable
crime, and SO frequent that ordinary
cases scarcely attract public notice. A
very extraordinary case has lately come
to light in New England. The Soubegan
National Bank of Milford, N. H, was
robbed last October by masked burglars.
The detectives failed to find any clew to
the stolen property: After all efforts in
this direction had been abandoned the
President of the bank received tele-
gram from a pretended detective in Bal
timore which induced him to visit that
city and grant an interview. Several in
tervieWs were held between the Presi-
dent and the robbers, and the former,
becoming satisfied that the stolen prop
erty could be obtained in no other way,
was persuaded to bring on $4,000, the
sum demanded for its restitution, from
home. We let the story continue in the
language of the reporter:
"Mr. Towne was taken to the private
office of the so-called detective and re-
quired to place a certain Gum of money
on the table. When this was done the
agent raped on the door, which was
instantly opened and a package thrown
in. Mr.. TOwne was requested to exam
inc this, which he did, occupying nearly
two hours. Among mass OF securities
he found many belonging to his bank,
winch ne checked anu ldlQ one Siuc
When this was done he was requested to
place another sum uf money on the
table, which he did, and another package
was thrown in and examined as before.
This resulted in the recovery of many of
the missing papers and some which had
not been missed. Mr.. Towne was then
informed that this was all that could be
done for him, and he was allowed to
pocket the valuables and depart in peace.
His situation during the negotiation was
not an enviable one, as he knew he was
dealing with desperate men, with whom
he was forced to trust himself with
large sum of money, with no security
against assassination"
The condition of the detective service
in the United States is pretty well ex-
posed by this criminal proceeding on the
part of the New Hampshire bank
officials Doubtless the detectives will
remain the most accomplished and mer-
CHESS thieves in the world SO long as they
find it profitable to maintain the tFadi-
tional policy of Addition, Division and
Tribune.
American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-05-22
A Railroad Race.

THE Scranton (Pa.) Republican of re-
cent date says: George Shoemaker,
engineer of coal train of some fifteen
cars, ON the Delaware, Lackawanna 81
Western Railroad, had an exciting ex-
Dcrience a few evenings ago in the vicln-
ity of Forks Station, on the Pocono
Mountains. AT that point there is heavy
grade toward the Delaware water-gap,
and when within two miles of Forks Sta
ton, while the train was going at the rate
of ten miles an hour, the coupling broke,
cutting some ten cars loose and letting
the engine shoot rapidly ahead with five
cars, which remained attached. Two
brakemen on the severed cars seeing
they were left behind to the care of a
swift momentum became frightened and
leaped from their positions. AS soon as
they jumped off the brakes were re-
Taxed, giving the cars full scope and in
creasing their velocity Mr. Shoemaker,
who was some distance ahead, seeing
them approach, feared the consequences
of a collision and increased his speed to
avert the catastrophe of clashing with
the runaway cars. Accordingly he main
tanned a swift course, passing Forks sta
ton with a shrek, and startling the Oil
Gals at that place, who did not know
what was the matter. A minute later
the telegraph operator dispatched to
passed the station at the rate of
sixty miles an hour. He had scarcely
sent the message before the runaway
cars came crashing through the cut and
Numbered through the station like
lightning flash, impelled by the power of
gravity. The people in the vicinity of
Forks Station were alarmed by this time.
They thought all the coal cars in Scran-
ton were out for IA holiday aud dashing
madly in the direction of the Water Gap.
The operator sent second and more ex-
citing message than the first to the Scran-
ton Office while the chase was being
continued. After five-miles run En-
gineer Shoemaker SO slackened speed
gradually as TO render the shock of con-
tact with the pursuing train harmless
and in this way brought mp with NO in
jury save good shaking apd a fair share
of excitement"
American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-05-22
A Remarkable Escape.

LAST Monday morning James Mitchell
of Antioch, young man seventeen years
of age, rode over the Diablo range of
foothills five or six miles, south of the
town, in quest of a missing horse. He
had secured the country for several hours
in vain, but riding to the summit of a
high ridge he recognized the object OF
his search grazing in the distance. Put
ting spurs TO his jaded animal he gal
loped Oft in that direction. when the AMI
NAL he was riding suddenly halted, hav-
ing, as the rider supposed, stepped into
a squirrel hole. He attempted to rein
him aside, at the same time giving him
the spur, when horse and rider fell to
the bottom of coal shaft forty feet in
depth The horse mad leaped across the
shaft, striking his fore feet On the far
Their side, and the hind feet found no
footing. With surprising GOODNESS and
presence of mind the young man clasped
his arms around the horses neck, lest in
the descent by some means he should be
brought beneath the animal. At the
bottom was a little shelf of sand rock !;
on this rested the fore feet of The horse I;
while the hind feet reached the bottom
of the shaft. Compelled to. remain in
this position Mitchell was fortunately
free from danger of being injured by any
movements of the animal
The dust occasioned by the rapid de-
scent having settled, James began to
mediate upon the peculiar position in
which he so unexpectedly found himself,
several miles from any human habfta-
ton, at the bottom of shaft forty feet
deep and three feet in diameter, his only
companion his faithful stecd, which lay
motionless. To remain was to die. and
that, too, by starvation, as he was, as if
by "a miracle, uninjured by the fall, the
force of the blow having been broken by
clingng to the neck of the horse, which
was during the descent in a perpendicu-
lar position There was but one way out
of the novel and dangerous position.
The walls of the shaft must be scaled.
but most of the way it had been dug
through sandstone, and the slightest mis-
take in getting foothold would be
fatal Realizing that his life was at
stake in the attempt, he drew of his
boots, left his hat and coat, and in few
moments he was once again basking in
The sunshine above. The horse lived but
short time. l. seems the shaft had
been dug while prospecting for coal sew
eral years since. and thick growth of
weeds completely concealed it from view.
-Anttcch (Cat J Ledger.
American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-05-22

| birthday. All that forenoon mamma
wouldn't let me go into the play-room,
and Will and Rob kept winking and
| grinning at each other, just as if they
had some great secret that they didn't
want me to know, but / made believe I
didn't care, though / did dreadfully.
| After dinner I didn't see the boys
any more until my company began
to come, and before / could open
the door to let them in the prettiest
little boy you ever saw ran down the
stairs and invited them up to the play
room. / had to look more than cnce to
make sure it was our Rob, for he was
dressed all in blue and white and had
white gloves on his hands. knew it was
auntie's doings, but was real glad, and
only hoped Rob wouldn't forget and give
handspring going up stairs; but he be-
haved beautifully for boy, and opened
the door for us to pass in, and there was
another surprise for me. The table was
pushed up one side of the room, and
upon it, standing side by side, were my
poor dead children, all come to life
again! The best part of it was, they all
looked better than they did before they
were hung. Captain Jinks had cork
leg, splendid new suit, and had grown
to be General, but his dear old scar
was just the same, and he didn't seem to
be proud of his new leg. Old Polly at
first didn't know, cause she was
changed into Topsy. guess mamma
was tired covering up so much dirt, and
fixed her SO that nothing would
hurt her complexion any more Miss
Marie was made into Cinderella,
with. truly glass slippers on her
tiny feet. Then Little Bo Peep" was
there, with her dear little crook; and
Little Red Riding Hood, with her hand
on the VOLTS back. as if he was her best
friend. Mamma said it was. the wolf,
but I'm sure it looked just as much like
a dog or sheep as it did like the cruel
wolf. Last of all stood Little Silver
Hair, who went to the bears house. You
may be sure I was glad then that did
not have the funeral in the winter. Then
our supper-ohl it was splendid viii
was all dressed up for a waiter, with a
white apron on, and all the other things,
and he kept us merry with his queer
speeches and funny ways. We had lots
of nice things to eat, but the best of all,
I think, was that lovely jelly that wiggles
all over. After supper we played games
and had tableaux, and then we got tired
and our stomachs ached, so the girls had
to go home. 1t was the incest birthday
I ever had, but, oh, dear! it ended just
like all the others, for my stomach got
worse, then my head began to throb, SO
I had to dash my feet in mustard water, =
take some nasty medicine and go to bed.
And that was the end of my birthday
Union Il
American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-05-22

the minor miseries of your past, when
your father found it hard to provide
suitably for his large family and their
mother had more than once to give
yours a child's frock and pinafore in
pity for your rags. They generally con
trive to make division in your circle
and you find some of your new friends
have been ungrateful to your old. The
whole story may be myth, the mere
coinage of vanity and disappointment;
but when did the world stop to prove
the truth before it condemnede
There is no circumstance SO accidental,
| no kindness so trivial, that it cannot be
made to constitute a claim to friendship
| for life and all that friendship includes
Intimacy before the world, pecuniary
help when needed, no denial of time, no
family secrets, unvarying inclusion in all
your entertainments, personal participa-
ton in all your successes, liberty to say
| unpleasant things without offense, to in
terfere in your arrangements and TO take
at least one corner of your soul, and that
not small one, which is not to be your
own, but theirs. Have they by the mer-
est chance introduced to your husband
the beautiful heiress, to your wife the
good match"-the world echoes with
the news and the echoes are never suf-
AL ~ w NiO e'o1- ~ 10 tOAO CsOl ACAC
and always as if your happy marriage
were the object they had had in view
from the earliest times, as if they
had lived and worked for consumma-
tion which came about by the purest ac-
cident. Have they been helpful and
friendly when your first child was born,
or nursery sickness was in your
hOuse-you are bought for life, you
and your offspring; unless you have
had the happy thought of making them
sponsors, when they learn the knack of
disappearing from your immediate circle,
and of only turning up on the formal &C.
casiOns which do not admit of making
presents. Did they introduce you to
your firSt employer-your subsequent
success Is the work of their hands, and
they bear your fame on their shoulders
like complacent Aliases balancing the
world. They go about cackling to every
one who will listen to them how it was
they who got your first essay into print;
how it was they who mentioned your
name to the commissioners, and how, in
consequence, the commissioners gave
you that place whence dates your mar
velOus rise in life; how it was they who
advised your father to send you to sea
and to make a man of you, and were the
indirect. cause of your K. G. B.-ship. But
for them you would have been mere
nobody, grubbing in dingy city Office
to this day.-Saturddy Reoiew.
American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-05-22
Selected s8gisrelzat,p.
SHADOWS OF THE PLAINS.

.r,d
stood Nv the desert's edae alone.
And long he looked. and leaned. and peered.
Above his twirled and twisted beard
BeneSth his black and slouchy hat Il
Nav nav The tale is NOT of that
A skin. clad trapper. toe tip,
Sfood m a n, o,,ntain ton, and he
J,ooI~ed LONE and -sfiIl and eagerly.
at loo,s 40 like some lonesome shin
That saiIs this ghostly. lonely ses-
This dried-up desert sea, said ne.
A chief from ont the deserts rim
. P,da svift aa twilight swalIows swim.
His tr;u,.iimbed steed was black as nigbt
His long. black hair had blossomed white
With feathers from Ts the ko oR1 ss wings
uis sve ~ t,ssbe.i f;re rs he He'd
Nor 6e had seen ,Insiphtly things.
wild and wiry man was he.
This tavnv chief of Shoshonee:
And. 81 his sunple steed was fleet.
Aho,,t Sia breasf banned PANTHER skins.
-About M eaeer. fiying feet
Be ia rpds ss y;des the hnIricane
he seemed TO swallow up tee plain;
He rode as never man did ride,
He rode. for ghosts were at his side,
And On III rirht a grizzIed grim
No no. this tale is not of him.
= : =
An Indian warrior lost his way
while provIing on the deserts edge
Tn frrvrout a. ee and nrickly he'd ore
When srdden5y he saw n SIGHT
And turned his steed in eager fight.
He rode rirht through the edge Of day,
He rode inc the rolling night:
His black wolf-skin fiapped ont and in.
And fiyer claws on aide Of skin
Hid seat and sadiiie to its place:
But thar prav ghost that clutched thereat \ y
Ayaurf! the tale Is not of that.
A chieftain touched the deserts rim
"A ali, ). morn 40 sbadows svim
O. ~. sses.., a Ne .t1od =. tin =. stone
~ =. "a <. S,ored there ciistened bright
49, ~ ny. ~ ys,sosr v;eid;ng and
io o,iS Iss s.,, ~ yss,;sb eyeied r;,,
q q sssss.s ~ n, lou he reacbed hand
A. A. = csrs5S j 4 mn he raIioned on.
he fn,ref hfs heali he saw siebt-
HI usnthcr skins fiew to the wind,
American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-05-22
Cur Boys and girls.
THE TWO FOXES.

THE TWO FOXES.
On q winters night,
As the moon shone bright,
Two foxes went out for prey.
AS they trotted along,
With frolic and song
They cheered the lonely way.
Through the wood they went,
But they could not scent
A rabbit or goose astray;
But at length they came
To some better game
In farmers barn by the way.
On roost there sat
Some chickens as fat
As foxes could wish for their dinners,
And the providers found
A hole near the ground,
And they both went in-the sinners.
They both went in,
With a squeeze and grin,
And the chickens were quickly killed;
And one of them lunched,
And toasted, and munched,
Till his stomach was fairly filled.
The other, more wise,
Looked about with both eyes,
And scarcely would eat at all:
For, as he came in,
With a squeeze and grin,
He remarked that the hole was small
And the cunning elf
Said to himself:
"f Leaf too much, it is plain,
As the hole is small,
shall stick in the wall
And never get out again."
Thus matters went on
Till the night was gone,
And the farmer came out with pole; 4
The foxes both flew.
And one went through,
But the greedy one stuck in the hole.
In the hole stuck he,
AS stuffed as could be
With the chickens he had been eating.
He could not get out,
Nor turn about,
And SO he was killed by beating.
Thus the fox, you see,
So greedy was he,
Lost his life for single dinner.
Now 1 hope that you
Will believe it true,
And never be such sinner.
". Y. Observer.
American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-05-22

AMONG the many curious consignments
received in this market by commission
merchants, the one received yesterday by
5. III. Long, at 17S South Water street,
takes tho lead. 1t consists of petrified
rattlesnake, measuring ten feet, and
shows distinctly the formation of twenty
five rattles and button, the forming of
an additional rattle. 1t was taken from
a coal mine in the vicinity of Upper
Alton, Ill, some thirty feet under ground.
The formation is perfect, and represents
a snake in the act of creeping. 4 promi-
nent city official has examined the curl
osity ANA pronounced it very valuable.
The party in question has asked for the
refusal OF the purcta se Of it, and it is
quite likely that it is wanted for the
Academy of Sciences. Mr.. Long asked
1900 for this curiosity Chicago Inter
Ocean.
American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-05-22

IT is suggested that for purposes of
identification of criminals il is only nee
palm of one hand. taken in a strong
oblique light, SO as to bring out the
markings strongly This will be found
map, it is said, never alike in two per
sons; no disguise short of actual dlshg-
urement will do away With the diner
enCe.
Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1875-11-04
WHOLE NO. 1903.
How 1t Feels to be Hanged.

A Paris newspaper gives the fol.
lowing extract from the notes of a
young fellow who tried to commit
suicide and was cut down before
suffocation was complete. He was
delighted to return to life, and it is
noted that would-be suicides who are
rescued from their self-ssught fate
rarely renew their attempts to shuttle
off this mortal coil "When | stood
on the chair the mirror on the mantle
piece Involuntary attracted me, and
! looked at myself when ] fastened
the slip knot around my neck. Blood
flowed to my head, for my face was
very red something took place at
the same time in my optic nerves, for
it seemed to me that my face sudden
ly began to make grimances. My
eyes and nose changed places inces-
sanity, like the pieces of kaleidoscope.
| kicked the chair from under me and
fell with the sensation that | had been
struck on the top of the head with a
hammer | did not at first feel the
rope around my neck. The only verS
clear impression which followed the
blow with the hammer on my skull
was that of great hesviuess in the
head. 1t seemed to me that my head
was larger and heavier on my should
ers than the great bellof Notre Dame.
At the same | felt an immense night
falling in and around me. Then l
felt extremely cold at my lower ex-
tremites, and at the same time an
acute, terrible pain in my neck, which
was produced by the rope, which cut
my skin and sawed my veins. Then
l felt nothing. Evidently this was
the moment when my good Aunt
Cecil entered my room and cut me
down"
Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1875-11-04

Post the Books.

The following we copy from the
Galena Gazette. It's from the pen of
Hon H. FL. Houghton who is probably
the oldest Journalist in the West:
Since the whirlwind of last year,
that whisked the Republican majority
in the house of representatives in con-
gress from one side to the other side.
elections have been held in the fol-
lowing States, resulting in popular
majorities. The number of electoral
votes that the States will cast in the
next Presidential election are annex
Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1875-11-04

.B"A medical journal published
in Cleveland addresses the following
queer query 10 the profession:
"QuOry-Has any physician ever seen or
treated a bald headed consumptive ?"
We should say that there must be,
and that there must have been, bald
headed consumptives; yet the fact
that doubt is thrown over the exist
tenee Of such persons by medical
journal would seem to show that
they are not so common as to be
within the knowledge every physi-
clan. We ourselves have not. OF
course, seen as many sufferers from
the malady in question as have come
under the observation Of some doc
tors; but we cannot at this moment
think of any one of those we have
seen who was bald-headed. Con-
sumption is a disease that preys upon
old people as well as young and mid
dle-aged people; and we suppose its
victims are subject 70 the ordinary
laws that regulate the growth of
hair. If not, why not ?-NeO York
Sun.
Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1875-11-04
Railroad Laws.

For the benefit of travellers who
are not posted, we publish the fol-
lowing decisions governing railroad
passenger travelin the United States,
which we clip from an exchange:
Extra charges for failure TO boy
tickets are universally sustained by
the courts, buL there must first be u
tull opportunity to buy offered by the
ticket seller. Passengers must show
tickets when asked for, As to ''stop-
ping off, there is only one decision,
which is that q passenger can not
"stop off and resume his journey
without the previous assent of the
company As 10 the obligation to
furnish seat to a passenger, a de-
cision says: "a passenger who ex-
hibits his ticket, need not surrender
it until be has been furnished with a
seat" \ railroad is not liable for
things out OF passengers seat,
there being no previous delivery
to the company's servants; for the
same reason the company is not
liable for baggage in the passengers
own care. Passengers who neglec.
to look after their own baggage on
their arrival at their destination,
cannot recover it if ii is lost without
fault Of the carrier.