davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-11-01
A Bungling Execution.

Francis Ept was hanged at Cochocton,
Ohio, for the murder of Abraham
Wertheimer on the twentieth of Novem-
Der last. Ept, who WAS born in Ger
many, was thirty three years of age.
At precisely one o'clock P. NJ. the fatal
trigger was touched, and Ept's body
fell six feet and half ; but the fall did
not break his neck, or even cause
strangulation, the knot having slipped
to the front, 20 that he was held by the
back OF his neck. A local paper, de-
scribing the terrible work, says: The
moose slipped around in sucn manner
that its knot was over the hanging mans
chin, and the fall not having broken his
neck, but merely for moment stunned
linn, he was now, amid the agony of
death, crying for relief. "Let me 60,
let me 60 p he shouted in German.
"Oh, have mercy on me, oh, have mercy
on me! Oh, God, the Father, have
mercy on me! Oh, let me 60, let me
go! Oh, Mother of God, help me
Father Epping, cut the rope and let me
go!" Cries of horror sprung from the
audience, while the sheriffs and Father
Epping ran to the edge of the scaffold
platform. "Shoot him and put him
out of his misery" suggested by
stander. "Oh, shoot me, shoot mel"
calculated Ept, who was now fully sensi.
Bile ; 81 was ten years soldier; shoot
me, and don't hang me like dog"
"Pull h N up !" said one of the sheriffs.
Two strong men seized hold of tho rope
and dragged the dangling victim, hand
over hand, to the platform, Here he
was placed in chair, while his cries,
means, and pleas for mercy would have
melted the heart of stone. "Courage,
my son." said Father Epping +; "think
of the sufferings of our Redeemer, and
be man." ".Oh, Father Epping, for
Gods sake cut the rope and. save me, :"
prayed the qu;vering wretch. Thus he
cried until the trap had been readjusted,
aud then he was again Lifted on to it.
Now his nerves were unstrung, as well
they might be, and he was almost as
limp as rag. He never ceased beg
ging for mercy, and, in the midst of
his cries, the trap was sprung, and this
time the work was effectively done.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-11-01
A School Question Decided.

The supreme court OF Illinois has
rendered decision Of great interest in
connection with the public schools. A
girl in Winnebago county belonged to a
class that was required by the rules to
study bookkeeping. Her parents did
not wish her to pursue that study, and
refused to provide her with text books.
They were notified that they must do 80,
or the girl would be expelled. Return
ing to the school without the books, she
was elected. Upon this suitwas brought
against the principal and directors for
trespass. The jury in the court below
found for the plaintiff, and assessed the
damages at $136. A motion for new
trial was made and denied, and the case
was appealed to the supreme court.
That court has just rendered q decision
affirming the Judgment. Several points
are discussed and passed upon in the
opinion, but the chief one is this The
school law of Illinois declares that
orthography, reading in English, PEN
manship, arithmetic. English grammar,
modern geography, and the history OF
the United States shall be taught in the
public schools, but to this section is
added proviso that nothing therein
contained shall prevent the teaching of
other and higher branches. The rea-
soning of the court is that it was the de-
sign Of the law first to secure to. every
child instruction in the branches enum-
Grated, and that while osher studies
may be introduced they cannot be made
compulsory. '
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-11-01
A Horrible Tragedy.

A horrible tragedy occurred on the top
floor of No. 2O1 West Twenty-third
street, New York. julius Blank, aged
thirty eight years, a native of France,
by occupation professor OF music, shot
his wife Mary, aged twenty-eight years.
in the head with large revolver, intilct,
ing mortal wound. He then caught
up his little child, Amelia, aged three
and one-half years, and placing the
deadly weapon close to her head, tired,
causing almost instant death. Before
the child had expired he ended the ter
rible deed of blood by blowing out his
own brains. The noise of the pistol
shot attracted the attention of neighbors,
who rushed in only to find the child and
father lying dead in pools of blood and
the mother unconscious and dying.
Within ten minutes police surgeon was
on the scene, but nothing could be done
for the only surviving member OF the
fated family. Her wound was fatal.
She was, however, quickly removed by
an ambulance to hospital.
The causes that led to the terrible
crime and the details of the tragedy are
unknown. No person could be found
who witnessed the shooting, and only
sr,rmises of insanity afford an assignable
cause. The father and murderer was
totally blind, and supported his family
by giving music lessons.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-11-01
What he Found.

A country gentleman was in the habit
of entertaining his friends almost
weekly, and discovered that regularly
some small article of plate was missing,
caster top. q salt spoon, a napkin
ring or something of the kind. He sus-
pected his servants. and to make sure
one night, when the guests had as
sembled, he said:
"I tell you what Let's do without
servants tonight and wait on ourselvesl'
The odd suggestion was greeted with
applause and peall of laughter. The
servants were turned out the meal was
seasoned with sparkling sallies at the
expense of the olumsiness of this or
that guest, and when they had all gone
the host took stock and discovered that
two.t thirds of the spoons had gone too
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-11-01
United States Currency.

The amount Of United States national
bank circulation redeemed, retired, and
surrendered from Jan. IA, 1875, to Oct.
l, 1876, is SAG, ,489, At. Amount issued
between the same dates, $16, 1881 ,575,
showing decrease of national bank cir
culation of $29,6O7,8s6, leaving The
amount of national bank notes outstand-
ing on Got. 1 (not including the ciroula-
ton of the national gold banks, 81, O99,-
1907 1922, ,253. .554. The amount Of
greenbacks deposited from June 20,
1874, to Oct. l, 1875 (including So, S13,-
675 previously deposited for the purpose
of redeeming the notes of insolvent and
iquidating banks), 1854, ,503, 1865. Amount
of circulation redeemed by the treasurer
between the same dates, $42, 462, 912,
leaving on deposit with the treasurer on
Oct. L, 1876, $21, 1850, ,943, for the pur-
pose of retiring the national bank notes
outstanding. Amount of greenbacksre-
tired under the act of Jan. "A, 1875,
S13, sos, ,260, leaving outstanding on
Oct. l, 1876, 1858, 494, ,740.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-11-01
A Little Too Fast.

A favorite programme with tho hotel
dead beat is to hand large sealed en-.
velope, stuffed with paper, to the clerk
and ask him to take care of those "three
hundred dollars for few days." The
game has been played at one of the
Detroit hotels, and the clerks were on
their guard. A seedy looking old man
registered at the same hotel few days
afterward, and after dinner he handed
the day clerk an envelope marked
$780," and asked that it be put in the
safe.
"You can't play that trick on me-. mis-
teri" replied the clerk, and he tore the
package in two. As he held up the
ends his eyes began to bulge out. BE
had tore eighteen new $40 dollar bills
in qalf, and he had insulted the owner.
One reason why he wasn't at his post the
balance of the afternoon was because he
was pasting those bills together.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-11-01
The Late James Lick.

James Lick, the philanthropist, died
in San Francisco. He had been sinking
for some time, and death resulted from
the mere decay of nature. His career
in the world of commerce was singularly
successful. he was born at Fredericks-
burg, Pa, in 1796. He was engaged in
commercial pursuits in South America
from 1921 to 1847, when he went to Cali
fornia and invested in real estate and
other enterprises, which resulted in the
accumulation of great fortune. In 1874
he assigned $4,000, 900 from his estate
to trustees for various public and
philanthropio purposes, including
100000 for a telescope and other ap-
paratus at Lake Tahoe, $500, 900 for a
school of mechanical arts in California,
$250,000 for public monuments and
$3.50, 600 for public baths in Sacramento,
$3.50, 900 for a monument to Francis
Scott Key, the author Of the Star
Spangled Banner" and other large
sums to various benevolent societies in
San Francisco. The selection of suit
able persons to guard these vast charities
has always been source OF trouble and
uneasiness to Mr.. Lick. Since the last
change in the trustees of his charitable
fund the deceased has frequently e1-
pressed himself better satisfied with the
condition of affairs, but hes manifested
considerable concern at not hearing
from his son, John Lick, of Fredericks,
burg, Lebanon county, Pa, to whom
both letters and kilograms had been sent
requesting his resignation as one Of the
trustees. All the rest of the old board
have rendered their designations, though
they have not yet been confirmed by the
court.
The trustees say the business is in
such shape that no complications can
ensue in carrying out Mr.. Lick's de-
signs, though there is some fear that the
action of John Lick implies his inten-
ton of contesting matters in the courts.
The total value of the trust fund is esti-
mated at about s., 100000.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-11-01
Wearing the Rreeches.

Mr.. Merriwether paused at the gate,
as he adjusted his continental oilcloth
coat and gave his torch the proper slant
over his shoulder, to shout to his neigh
Dor across the way: "It is time that
demands mel; men of nerve and intelli-
genoe and courage, men OF clear ideas
and pure convictions, and the citizen
who stands idly waiting when the coun-
try calls him is heartless and negligent
and unpatriotic." And then Mrs. Mer-
riwether's voice was heard floating over
the front fence like the song OF a bird
in the night: "Erastus Merriwether !
If You go off without splitting up wood
enough for the kitchen stove, III 90
some haymaking in that carrotty hair
o'yourn that IL make you wish this coun-
try never had a President" And it is
Just such chilling Influences as these that
shut 80 many OF our best mol out OF ao-
tive public life.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-11-01
= Scandal.

When cannibal ssvsges after fight
Make feast Of the bodies Of those they
have beaten,
The grisly repast yields keener delight
From the knowledge that every unfortunate
wight - :, o. IT, ~ s..
Would have deemed it the deepest disgaa:e to
be eaten.
Though tho custom is fast dying out in Fiji
As the influence Of Western example in
creases,
In civilized countries you Oft may see {: =,
A circle of friends in the highest Of glee, 80.
All busily picking some neighbor to pieces.
And the best of 1t is the neghbor is not, -
Az in islands barharic, person deceased
His flesh has been baked in no caldrons or
pot; l,sk&t>I 81
They don't even trouble to serve them up hot !;
For the victim still lives tho midst of the
feast. ... F%s
Some good natured friend p'r'aps, may make
him aware
OF the nature Of these hungry monsters'
employment; ~
And, though in reply he may stoutly declare
That such viviseotion won's hurt bum 6 hair,
Yet he writhes st the thought Of their
fendish enjoyment ~ n: r
Still oIe comfort remains. In the isles Sof
FIJI ( S4< T.s, - ~ So
No possible Vengeance is left for the victim.
He is cooked and defulct But In Europe hes
free ,=.,s......-. q. ,... -,
To seek Satisfaction; and sometimes We see :.
Tba. be wounds i'll exchange for the Wounds
which have pricked him.
Then beware, Mrs. Smith; beware, lovely
Mics Brown;
Yourg Jones' whisper nothing that isn't
quitetrpeS IL ; 4Ss% I
Be little more careful Of others rer""n,
For Thompson il yonder recess ha- sat down
With Miss Green, and is quietly cutting up
YOU -Belgraoia.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-11-01
Lionizing Bank Robbers.

The st. Paul papers do not Like the
idea of bank robbers being ionized as
they are. One Of them says {:
"Bob" Younger seems to have been
a big man during his Madeliar receptions,
and the ladies who showered bouquets
and sympathy upon the bloody bandits
dwelt tenderly upon "Bob's" sweet
voice and winning smiles, and wept at
his mention of his dead mother and iv-
ing sister, would, do well to preserve a
small portion of their sympathy and
tears, perhaps, for the mothers and
sisters, and wives and children OF good
citizens shot down and butchered in
cold blood by this precious gang OF out
laws within the past few years. Don't
let's have any sickly sentimentality
over these vampires just because they
are Gagged at Last and their bloody work
ended. "Bob's voice may be full Of
melody. his face manly, his smile at
trsctive and his bearing courteous, but
his hands and the hands Of his associ-
ates are stepped in the blood Of count
less victims, and if they could die
thousand deaths justice would hardly be
appeased. Northfeld and Madelia did
a brave and noble work, covering them
selves with glory and conferring honor
upon the State. Now don't let the Sim
pletons "slop over > with tears and
bouquets for these outlawed wretches.
"Bob" and his brother will kindly
" forgive the woman whose son was
the bearer of information that led to
their capture will "forgive
everybody just now.
Bob would "forgive" them if they
would give him his revolvers and turn
him loose again. There ought to be
too much good common sense in Min
nesota to lionize this most villanous
band of highwaymen, and we hope to
hear no more of it. It is hardly proba-
BILE that Northfeld and Faribault people
will continue this shower of sympathy
and bouquets. They have had taste
of the James and Younger metal before
"the memory of their dead mother and
living sister" had overtaken them, and
there are two homes in mourning as a
consequence.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-11-01
Odd Fellowship.

In the month Of February, 1919,
Thomas Wildey and John Welch, two
then residing in Baltimore,
Md, inserted in the Baltimore Ameri.
can an advertisement in the following
words: "Notice to all Odd Felows.-A
few members of the Society o. Odd Eel
lows will be glad to meet their brethren
for consultation upon the subject of
forming lodge. The meeting will be
held on Friday evening, the second of
March, 1879" This was the first lodge
formed in the United States.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-11-01
AbSurditieS.

The Northwestern Christian Advocate
regards the custom of drinking healths
and indicating ones self by violence as
absurdities. 1t says: Why should it
be an honor to gentleman or lady to
have company around dinner table
fill their glasses with wine, when his or
her name is mentioned at particular
moment, and drain them simultaneous.
ly2 They drink cne's health professed-
,ly. The act really promotes the health
of no one. Physiologically it cannot
have that effect, but rather the contrary,
in the mass of cases, while it can hardly
be recognized as religious exercise, in
which the wine drinking is O kind Of
ibation, or sacramental accompaniment
OF prayer for the welfare of the person
named. Fashion renders it possible to
do what is simply ludicrous. Thus, at
a large dinner party, gentleman will
send word by a waiter to lady at dis
tant part OF the table that he would like
to drink wine with her. Perhaps she is
on tho same side with himself, 30
that he caInot we'll see her motions. Ac-
cordingly he relies on the waiter to tell
him when she has her glass in hand and
is prepared to exchange compliments,
and at given signal, having asked /:
els she readys" swallows his wine !
And then both feel quite complimented
and indebted to one another
But how would it seem, were q slight
change made in the customa Let it be
supposed, that the master of cere-
monies should say: 81 propose that
we should eat the health of the lovely
Miss Smith, the queen of beauty ;" and
that, thereupon, each should take bit
of roast besf, or a morsel of turkey, on
the top of his or her fork, aud, at a
given signal, all the bits should stimuli
taneously be conveyed to their mouths,
with a general interchange of smirks.
Or when the dessert and fruit comes on,
suppose gentleman to send word to
Lady that he proposes that they eat one
another's health in slice of orange. In
these cases there would he a compliment
of the personal attention, and the actual
taking of something nutritious and
heulthful but to drink ones health in
q glass of ordinary wine-in three in.
stances out OF four, compound of
whisky and poisonous drugs-is very
contradictory proceeding.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-11-01
The Wheat Supply In England.

The London Times says The wheat
crop this year is the conclusion of q
history full Of alarms and surprises.
Mr.. Caird tells it very pleasantly in all
it's bearings aud consequences, and re-
minds us, by the contrast, Of the
mysterious and gloomy tone with which
the staff of life was always discussed as
late as thirty years ago. In some re-
spects the present state Of things far
surpasses the direst predictions of that
day. We are dependent upon foreign
ers to an extent never then imagined.
While the average consumption is about
twenty-three million quarters, or, as the
customs returns state it, one hundred
million hundredweights, during the last
harvest year We have imported
happily, it seems, somewhat in excess of
our wants. -si1ty-three million hundred.
weights, or not far from two-thirds of
our whole consumption.
Half OF this came from the United
States, and so much Of our wheat sup
ply depends, therefore, not only on the
good will of that country, but still more
immediately on her commercial state,
which is very variable. The profit it.
self has to be nicely calculated, and in
MIR. Cards opinion the prices which
have lately prevailed yield little or no
profit. Such a fact is slowly apprecia-
ted, but when tho American f1rmers
have once acted upon it and stopped
supplies, it takes time to reverse that
movement and meet q rising demand.
Five per centum OF our wheat imports
come from British India-where We have
lately had to feed famished popula-
tion. A good deal comes from Turkey
and Egypt, which, Mr.. Caird observes,
will have to send us wheat because they
both want money and can no longer get
it by simply borrowing. he suggests,
however, that in present circumstances
Turkey cannot be depended on for any
considerable supplies. France is too
much in our own condition to be sure OF
sparing us wheat when we happen to
want it; in fact, if she has not to
compete with us in the open market,
that is about as much as can now be e1.
pected. She has had a poor harvest Of
other grain and produce, and may want
all her own produce and more. The
wheat crop of Canada is much lower
than usual.
Here, then, is the very state Of things
which generation ago was prophesied
as the last page of our national decline
and fall. When all the world, includ-
ing our jealous rivals, found Us de-
pendent on them for more than half of
our daily bread, they had only to put
their heads together and destroy the
proud nation that had 30 oppressed and
insulted them. The consummation has
come. It finds us year by year growing
less wheat, and the foreigner growing,
if not absolutely more, OF least more
than pays him.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-11-01
A GENEROUS MAN.-The custom in

some post-offices of forwarding unpaid
letters and appealing to the receiver for
repayment in a little poster pasted on
the backs of the letters was initiated in
Newark, N. j. A benevolent gentleman
saw bundle of unpaid letters to for
eign addresses, took pity on their far
away owners, and not only paid their
postage, but, for years afterward, the
postage of all such letters. He paid for
the letters twenty years, including 1T
the last domestic letters in his charity,
and kept his name secret.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-11-01
Currency Outstanding.

The following is a statement of the
United States currency outstanding at
this date:
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-11-01

sane at the time 1ttook place. one was
then 80 prostrated with grief at the loss
of her husband as to lose her reason.
and man in much humber station OF
life than herself persuaded her to marry
him. She has since been in an asylum,
but was now sane. The evidence being
perfectly satisfactory, the marriage was
dissolved .E.bar ,
Two.thirds of the willow for the manu-
facture of uillowware in the United
States is imported from Europe alta cost
Of $4,000. The cultivation Of the vii.
low is contemplated by some Americans,
they thinking that by cultivating su-
perior grades of basket willow they can
make profit of $3.50 per acre. A manu-
facturer asserts that fully 5000 articles
are constructed from willow shoots
chairs, sofas and baskets being the most
common. ...... O..
The Turkish restaurants at dinner
time are wonderful sight. The guests
SQUAT round mat, the host brings IN
whole sheep and tears it open with his
hands, whereupon the guests seize upon
the rice, with which the interior OF tne
animal is stuffed, and after kneadlng IL
in their fingers into balls till it ls qute
brown, they put it into their n1outns,
the flat cakes of horrible, indigestloie
maize bread supply the places OF nap
kins, and are then eaten.
Buffalo Bill said recently to reporter
of the Philadelphia Press: "Custers
charge was not madsCr ll,tlmed. . Gus s1sr.
ported as he fought to have been' ne
would have won a glorious victory. He
was not supported. Reno stood mac, 70
tive when ouly ridge separated nlm
from Custer when the latter was belng
butchered. Reno is to blame, ana
told him 80. Benteen wanted to 60 ana
support Custer, but Reno ranked MN
and he was powerless. The command
was not in the hands of the proper men;
They are too old, and lack the dash ana
vim and vigor for such warfare.
The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-11-01

appeared before him, coming up quick
ly and stopping with an angry stamp OF
the foot.
Now, there may be avolume Of electric
influence even in the stamp of foot.
and there was such an influence in the
stamp which Brackett gave; and Welton
felt It, and braced himself against it.
There was, moreover, an atmosphere e1-
haling from the presence Of the irate
man at once repellant and aggravating.
"John Welton, you have shot my
dog The words were Missed forth
hotly.
Yes," said Welton, icily.
= "How dared you do ita"
81 dare shoot any dog that comes
prowling about my buildings, especially
when I have had my sheep killed by
them" =
"But my dog never troubled your
sheep, and you know it -
/" How should know it ?"
{. "You know that he never did harm to
sheep. It wasn't in his nature: It was
9 mean, cowardly act, and you shall SUI
fer for it.
: " Bracket, you don't know to whom
you are talking"
"Oho / Wen find out. Don't put
on airs, John Welton. You amt saint.
I'll have satisfaction if i have to take it
out of your hide"
"Peter, you'd better go home and,
cool off. You are making yourself ridicu-
lous. - E,l.
Now, really, this was the unkindest
cut Of all. Not all the mad words of
Bracket put together were SO hard as
this single sentence; and John Welton
put all the bitter sarcasm in his COM
mand into it. 3 =, - ~, = ~; -, 80. - 5 4
" Bracket broke forth into torrent of
and then turned away.
Ealf an hour later John Welton &C.
knowledged to himself that he had not
done exactly right. Had he, in the out
set, in answer to Brackets first out
burst, told the simple truth-thathe had
shot the dog by mistake: that he was
eorrv an6 that ha yyas WILLING tn do any,